Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh: Curse of the Namikaze
by RamenRenegade
Summary: Nearly five years has passed since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War and an unprecedented peace has settled across much of the land. But when an old enemy returns in search of an ancient power that could reveal the dark truth behind the lost Namikaze Clan, The Seventh Hokage must rise to shield the world from destruction once again. This is Book IV of the series.
1. For Konoha

**INTRODUCTION**

Welcome at last to the return of the Chronicles of the Seventh series. As always I love to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**

Ok, so a little bit about this series. First off, I know it's obvious but I feel I should state that **this is BOOK IV of an ongoing series.** Though you can read this as a stand alone I would suggest you read the first three installments (not to mention the one shot chapter) before reading this so you can understand everything that you will read here.

Just as it states in the summary, it has been five years since the end of the Book III and the Fourth Great Ninja war. This places the ages of Naruto and his K11 comrades at about 22 - 25 years old. Many things have changed. Lives have gone in different directions and I hope you'll find what you learn to be interesting. As of now my plan is to release new chapters on a **BI-WEEKLY** basis. The total length of this story is pretty much a fluid situation. But I do estimate about 25 - 30 chapters.

I hope you enjoy the read and as always, when done **please** remember to leave a little **review** when done.

* * *

"_All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."_

"_This…I did."_

The young ninja could feel the frantic racing of her heart as she sprinted down the long winding tunnel. Despite the fatigue that threatened to consume her, she continued to run as fast as she could as though demons were on her heals. And for all she knew, they were. For what she had witnessed couldn't possibly be human she told herself.

A few feet ahead she could see her comrade running desperately in search of the exit as though the open air represented salvation from what hunted them. Her lungs burned. Her arms and legs ached. Every step seemed to be its own minor miracle. Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of all she'd seen and learned. As she ran, she could feel herself slowly being consumed by panic as though it were some creature slowly creeping up her spine and gripping her heart.

Realizing how close she was reaching to losing control of herself she began to recall her training. She fought to remember the words of wisdom she had been given for use in times of crisis. Losing control, giving in to the fear, being consumed by panic; these were the things that spelled disaster for ninja. These were what could happen when you are far from home, with no light to be your guide. In times like this, remember the mission and most of all, remember those you fight to protect, those for whom you pray to see smile once more. These were the lessons Chouji-sensei constantly ingrained into her back in the academy.

_The academy_, she thought. Those care free days seemed so far away to her now. Memories of sitting in class, staring out the window at the bright sun and green grass as Chouji-sensei stood in front of the class teaching. What she wouldn't give for one more day like that. Why was this happening to her? She was only fourteen and had only graduated less than a year ago. By all accounts, as a Genin, she shouldn't be here, hopelessly trapped in this darkened and dank cave in a god forsaken country miles from home. She had been trained to expect and be prepared for the unexpected. But how could anyone prepare themselves for this? How could things have gone so wrong? She found herself cursing the gods for her luck.

"There it is!" Her comrade yelled excitedly as his voice echoed through the cave. Looking ahead she saw the reason for his sudden joy. Like a beacon of salvation she saw sunlight in the distance. They were still far enough away that it seemed the size of a pinprick in the distance, but to her it was enough. And more importantly it was a sign that there was hope. If they reached the exit, they could escape what she knew in her heart was certain death.

As the girl focused on her goal, she tripped on a small stalagmite protruding from the floor. "Shit!" She yelled as she tumbled to the floor.

Her comrade, hearing her scream, looked back. "Mitsuko!" He yelled as he immediately stopped and ran back to her where she sat holding ankle. "Are you okay? We have to keep moving."

"Yeah," she said as he helped her to her feet. "It hurts but I can manage. Sorry, Daisuke."

"Never mind that," Daisuke said. "We need to keep moving. We're almost there." Mitsuko smiled, grateful that she had Daisuke with her. He had graduated with her from the academy and was roundly considered to be a child prodigy. She considered herself lucky when she was teamed up with him and Ko who was also a talented ninja in his own right. Ah Ko, the moment she thought of him she felt a pang of pain in her heart. Instantly, she banished the thought of him to the deepest reaches of her mind. She would mourn for him later. Now she had to focus on her own survival and completing her mission. Because she had no doubt that the fate of Konoha rested on her success.

Daisuke grabbed Mitsuko's hand and pulled her along as they ran. She felt a sharp pain in her ankle with every step she took but bit her lip to remain silent. Now was not the time for weakness. They were getting closer to the exit. She could feel the fresh air and could see the sunlight.

Without warning, Daisuke came to an abrupt stop and signaled Mitsuko to be silent. "I heard something," He whispered. They both immediately drew kunai as they put their backs against each other and did their best to scan the area. As they stood silently in the darkness they could hear the slow drips of water and the distant squeak of rodents.

A few moments passed before Mitsuko said, "Maybe it was nothing."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Daisuke responded as he calmed down. "We should-"

Somewhere in the darkness they suddenly heard laughter. Mitsuko could feel herself break into a cold sweat as the man's laugh echoed against the cave walls making it impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from. "Well, well," the man then said. "What do we have here? My rodents are trying to escape their cage? How very naughty of them. They will have to be punished."

Mitsuko's body tensed as she found herself gripped by fear. _He's found us!_ She thought. _We're dead! We failed sensei!_ Daisuke gritted his teeth in frustration as he and Mitsuko saw a large animal in the shadows that easily towered over the two of them. They could see the two yellow eyes and the fangs that dripped with venom.

With lightning quick speed the creature lunged at them. Mitsuko found herself frozen in fear, unable to move out of the way. Just then Daisuke grabbed her by the arm and pulled her violently. "Come on!" He yelled as the massive creature slammed into the ground, just missing them as they dodged the deadly attack.

Daisuke, with Mitsuko in tow, leapt behind a massive boulder that sat near the entrance. Mitusko could hear her heart beating wildly and cursed her weakness. "We'll be alright Mitsuko!" Daisuke said. It was then, as sunlight was able to illuminate his face, that Mitsuko could see the fear in Daisuke's eyes. That's when she understood that he was saying this as much for his own benefit as hers.

"Mitsuko," Daisuke said as he peeked around the boulder. The massive snake was looking about for its prey. "I want you to sprint for the entrance while I hold that thing off."

"What!? No way!" Mitsuko said. "I'm not leaving you!" "Don't be naïve Mitsuko!" Daisuke said as he looked at her angrily. "We're not fast enough to out run that thing. Sensei gave us a mission. And we have to fulfill it. I won't allow Ko's death to be for nothing."

"R-Right," Mitsuko responded hesitantly.

Before Mitsuko could move the massive snake slithered around the rock and reared up, cutting off her path to the exit.

"Shit!" Mitsuko yelled.

As the snake lunged at them they heard someone yell, "Gatsuga!" Two columns of spinning force slammed into the side of the snake causing it to crash to the ground, dead. And then two identical men landed between the snake and the two ninja. "I thought I told you two to run and not to stop for anything!?" One of them yelled.

"Taicho!" Mitsuko yelled happily.

"Kiba-taicho!" Daisuke yelled.

"Daisuke, take Mitsuko and don't stop running until you can get a message back to Konoha!" Kiba yelled as his look-a-like transformed back into his dog Akamaru. "Getting that Intel to them takes priority!"

"Taicho, I-", Mitsuko said before she gasped as she looked over Kiba's shoulder. Akamaru began to bark loudly. Kiba and Daisuke turned to see what she was looking at and out of the darkness they saw a figure walking towards them.

"Oh my," the shadowy figure said. "You killed my pet. How awful of you. He was one of my favorite ones." The man was inhumanly pale, like walking limestone. His skin was scaly, with white hair, purple eye markings around his eyes and yellow serpentine pupils. He wore a maroon cloak with a design of a serpent's head on the hood. The man stopped walking and cocked his head as he looked at the fallen snake. "Tsk! You're going to have to pay for that."

"Daisuke," Kiba said through gritted teeth. "Hurry and go! I'll catch up to you when I can."

"Y-Yes taicho!" Daisuke said as he grabbed Mitsuko by the hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Taicho," Mitsuko said.

Surprisingly, Kiba looked at Mitsuke with a smile. "Go ahead Mitsuko," he said. "I'll be right behind you."

Mitsuko and Daisuke immediately turned and took off running. As soon as they exited the cave and hit the open air they leapt up to the trees and jumped from branch to branch. Mitsuko looked back at the cave as they moved further and further away. "Kiba-taicho will be ok; right Daisuke? Daisuke?"

Daisuke didn't answer. His entire body was tense and his jaw clenched as he continued to move as fast as he could. And despite himself he could feel a tear run down his cheek. "Do you remember what Kiba-sensei told us when we first met him?"

Mitsuko remained silent as she leapt though the trees. "He said that a ninja's life is a life of hardship, tragedy and sacrifice." Mitsuko said. "But what makes ninja special is that we are willing to gladly face these things. We are willing to sacrifice of ourselves willingly, for our friends, our families." Daisuke looked at Mitsuko with a smile and said, "For Konoha."

_******Meanwhile******_

"You should go with them Akamaru." Kiba whispered to his friend. "They could use you're help."

Akamaru barked and bristled as he dug into the ground. Kiba gave a little laugh. "You've never refused a command before." He said. "But now..."

"Hmm, now I have to chase them even further." The pale man said as he stared out the cave. "How annoying."

Kiba looked at the man with a grin on his face. "You seem awfully calm about the whole thing, Kabuto." He said.

"Please," Kabumaru said as he waved Kiba off. "I prefer Kabumaru. And don't insult me. There isn't another town or outpost for over a hundred miles. It won't take long for me to find them."

"You'll have to get passed me first!" Kiba yelled.

Kabumaru laughed and then said, "I'm sorry, but you actually speak as though that should be of concern for me."

"I'll show you just how concerned you should be!" Kiba yelled as he pulled a red tablet from his pouch and threw it at his dog. "Let's do it Akamaru!" Akamaru ate the pill and his fur turned red, his body grew larger and he became more feral. Kiba then created several hand signs and said, "Inuzuka-Ryū: Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō!" There was a puff of white smoke and the two companions transformed into massive two-headed, white wolf.

"Oh, ho!" Kabumaru exclaimed. With an amused smile on his face Kabumaru removed his glasses and breathed on them before wiping them off and putting them back on. "It's been a while since I've seen the human, beast combination." Kabumaru's long tongue snaked out of his mouth and wiped against his cheek. "This should be interesting."

**Ramen Studio's proudly presents…**

**With Characters and locations created by Misashi Kishimoto**

**Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh: Book IV**

**Curse of the Namikaze**

_Chapter I: For Konoha_

The young man ran through the busy mid day streets towards the large medical building several blocks away. Built three years ago, the building towered over the other low rise structures in the village and was second in height only to the Hokage Mansion in the center of town. It was built per the instructions and over sight of the Hokage's wife and was expected to be not just a hospital for the village, but the primary force behind medicinal knowledge and advancement within the Land of Fire.

It also functioned not only as a medical school for young ninja of Konoha but the preeminent place for medical treatment. The boy remembered the day the building had opened. During his speech, the Hokage spoke about believing that this would be the beginning of unifying the world through the quest for knowledge and growth.

He had no idea how right he would be. Within the few short years since its opening, Konoha quickly became a cultural hub where doctors, scientists and herbalists from the four corners of the world would gather to debate, experiment and learn from each other. Even other nations would send their medical ninja here to train and learn about new techniques and methods.

Eventually it became apparent that the increased traffic necessitated that new hotels and restaurants be built. The academy was expanded for the additional children and more homes were built including an entirely new district. Within the five years since the end of the last war Konoha had nearly doubled in size.

As the young man dodged and weaved through the packed streets he cursed himself for deciding to take this route and to not take to the roof tops. During this time of day the village square was impossibly clogged with villagers, tourists and merchants alike hustling back and forth from one destination to another. Merchants stood outside their shops or behind their carts selling their food and wares at the throngs of people.

_Why the hell did I go this way?_ The young man thought as he dodged his way through the crowd. As he ran he took the time to be proud at his reaction time and footwork. He'd come a long way since he was that young orphaned boy, adopted by a strange village, who decided to learn to become a ninja.

He still remembered the first few days he spent here after the war. He stayed in a large building along with all the other dozens upon dozens of orphans created because of this war. The rooms were clogged with children, crying for their lost parents. Early on he decided that crying with them would serve no purpose. He could see that the staff which was placed to watch over all these lost children was overwhelmed. So he decided to do his part. He would spend his days looking over the younger children. Helping them to eat, bathe and stay out of trouble. Within, a few weeks most of the children gravitated to him to lead them and look out for them. The staff looked upon him as a godsend that helped to keep things under control.

Several weeks passed by before one day, he received a visit from the very woman who saved his life that fateful day. She was the angel who pulled him out of the dark cave that he at the time believed would be his tomb. She came to check in on him and was very pleased and proud of his progress. And from that day on, she would visit him at least once a week.

One day, she came by to see him but instead of staying with him at the orphanage she took him with her to the hospital. The boy was confused but did not have any reason to question her. When they arrived she took him into a room when a man, a nameless person who'd come to help with the village reconstruction, sat in a bed. His arm was in a sling and wrapped in bloody bandages.

The woman told the boy to take a look at the man's arm. To inspect it. The boy looked over the man in silence for a short time. When enough time had passed she began to pepper the boy with questions. "What was the nature of the wound? Where was the wound? What do you think would be the best way to treat it?"

The boy wasn't sure but answered the best he could. When she was done, she smiled. "Not bad." She said. "You made a few mistakes but for the most part you accurately diagnosed him. It's decided then, from now on you will be my first apprentice. You will become a Medical Ninja. You will refer to me as Sensei."

At twelve, his instructors believed him too old to begin the ninja training. But his sensei wouldn't hear of it. She declared that she believed he was possibly a medical genius and could learn quickly. She stated that his training would be her responsibility. And though he still had a long way to go before becoming a splendid ninja, he was now, at age seventeen a decent medical ninja thanks to his sensei.

The boy finally made his was through the crowd and up to the entrance of the building where he was stopped by two security guards. "Hey there, Ozuru!" One of the guards, a young raven haired woman with blue eyes said with a smile. "What's the emergency?"

"Sorry, Riku-chan," Ozuru said as Riku smiled. "I have a message for My Lady. It's pretty important."

"Right, right," Riku said as she waved him on. "You'd better get going then. You don't want to keep her waiting." Ozuru smiled. Usually he'd stop to speak to Riku. She was very pretty and he was planning to ask her out. But he didn't have the time.

Ozuru ran off down the hall as he sidestepped the dozens of people that littered the hallways until he reached the stairwell. He immediately began leaping up the stairs at about five or six stairs at a time until he reached the top floor where he quickly turned right and sprinted down the hall until he reached a large oak door that led into the office of the Hospital Administrator. Ozuru paused and took a deep breath as he brushed his clothes down with his hand. He then knocked on the door.

He then heard a familiar voice say, "Come in."

Ozuru opened the door and entered a large, airy room. The wall on the right was wall to wall book shelves that stretched to the ceiling. They contained all kinds of medical journals and scrolls from around the world. On the right was a wall of large bay windows that allowed sunlight to illuminate the spotless office. There were several potted plants meticulously placed in the corners of the room and a large oak desk sat near the rear of the office facing the door. Every time Ozuru entered this office he would marvel at how a room, containing so many books, scrolls, medical equipment and other documents could remain so impeccably neat and organized.

Though there were documents and forms neatly piled high on the desk no one was there. Ozuru looked to the left of the desk and saw a smaller desk that faced the opposite direction. There were needles, beakers of different shapes and sizes, along with plants, bugs for experimentation and other medical equipment there. And a young woman who sat with her back turned to him; her nose buried in a book. She had a white lab coat on and her pink hair was pinned up. "Sensei," Ozuru said.

"Oh! Ozuru, I'm glad you're here," Sakura said without looking around. "I think I may have found a method of increasing the effectiveness of soldier pills by twelve percent. I'll need you to head down to the conservatory to pick up a few plants for me test the theory."

"No problem sensei," Ozuru said. "But…you asked me to keep an eye on him."

Sakura stopped reading and looked up from the book. "And?" She asked.

"You were right," Ozuru said. "He did in fact, sneak out."

Sakura slammed the book shut so loud it made Ozuru jump slightly. For a moment she remained quiet until she turned to face him and Ozuru was surprised to see her smiling. "Thank you Ozuru." She said. "You've been a big help."

Sakura immediately got to her feet and walked over to behind her larger desk where there was a matching oak armoire. She opened it and inside there were a few white lab coats hung up along with a standard Konoha field ninja uniform. There were also weapons and pouches hung on the back of the armoire as well as on the bottom.

Sakura took off her lab coat and Ozuru was surprised to see what she was wearing. Instead of her usual clothes which she wore when not on missions, she had on a sleeveless, dark red top with a large white circle on her back. She also wore black skirt, black, knee high boots, dark pink lace stockings and a black pouch strapped around her right leg. Ozuru smiled nervously as he scratched the side of her head. _She was already planning to head out._ He thought.

Sakura hung up her coat in the armoire and picked up a dark pink armguard and put it on her left wrist followed by a pair of black gloves. She then walked over to one of the windows and opened it. For a moment she paused and took a deep breath as the breeze streamed into the room. Sakura then pulled the pin out of hair and allowed it to fall to the center of her back and billow gently in the wind. "Thank you for the help Ozuru," Sakura said as she put on foot on the window sill. "Please don't forget the list of ingredients I'll need from the conservatory. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Of course sensei," Ozuru said with a slight bow. The next moment, she was gone.

_******A Short While Later******_

"So, what do you see?" The masked ninja asked to his comrade as he crouched behind him. The two ninja were perched high in the trees on a large branch. They were both dressed in black clothing with grey armor, black cloaks and a porcelain animal mask.

"Thirty one, thirty two, thirty three," The other ninja answered as he scanned the forest ahead of him. "We've got thirty three targets. Ten are on the ground; the rest in the trees."

"Locations?" The first ninja asked.

"Twelve o'clock, ten o'clock and two o'clock." The second ninja responded. "The center formation looks like they are taking the lead in the attack."

"That formation is a feint," The first ninja responded. "They'll expect us to attack them and when we do the other two formations will hit is us from either side.

"How do you wish to proceed captain?" The second ninja asked as he looked back at him.

The captain looked about behind him as he confirmed the position of his men behind him. Hidden in various places were ten of the most seasoned veterans of Konoha's ANBU. To the untrained eye they were invisible as they blended into the forest that surrounded them. No normal ninja would be able to locate them. But their captain was no normal man. Promoted to the rank of captain of Konoha's ANBU division by the Seventh Hokage shortly after the last war, he had quickly garnered the loyalty and respect of his men despite his young age. Not that it was a difficult thing to do considering his amazing accomplishments during the previous war that had, over these past few years, become akin to legend.

"Death from above," The captain said. "You fall back to the rear and have Yukita provide support. Use your Byakugan to keep track of enemy movements and Yukita can use her jutsu to keep us all in contact. The rest of us will fall back and go around the enemy and I'll use my jutsu to then attack from above. Half of them will be dead before they ever see Hokage Mountain."

"Yeah," The second ninja responded. "We'll teach these Akatsuki bastards not to cross our borders. I don't know why they insist on these ridiculous raids. They never get anywhere."

"Alright," the captain said. "Let's get move..!"

"Wait captain!" the ninja exclaimed. "I've got something moving towards us!"

"What?! Where?" the captain responded.

"Six o'clock!" The ninja said. "It's moving towards us at an incredibly high rate of speed! And whatever it is, its chakra is enormous!"

The captain immediately turned around and tried to see what was coming. _Shit_, he thought. _Could the enemy have gotten behind us somehow?! _Just then he looked down at the ground and saw what he thought was a blur that passed by all of his men. _What the hell!?_

"Captain!" The ninja yelled.

The captain turned back around and was shocked to see a man standing in the clearing a few yards ahead of his unit. Though the man's back was turned to him, the captain instantly recognized the bright blond hair, as well as the large shield strapped to his left arm that was fashioned after the Hokage's hat and finally the distinctive short sleeved, dark orange coat with black flame motifs at the edges. Written on the back of the coat in black, were the words "Shichidaime Hokage".

The captain sighed to himself as he looked at the man below. _Damn it!_ He thought. _What the hell are you doing here?_

On the other side of the clearing, the enemy ninja remained hidden in the trees. Several yards away from the man and to his right, two of them were perched in the trees. One of them, a thin man with black hair, heavy eyebrows above narrow eyes and a hawkish nose, stared at the blonde man who stood calmly in the clearing. "What the hell is that guy doing out in the open like that?" He asked. "Could they be using him as bait to draw us out?"

The other ninja, a barrel-chested man with a black goatee and a scar running down his left cheek under his eye, shook his head. "Not their way," He said. "I'm not really sure what's going on. Order the men to hold firm until I can confirm the enemies' strategy."

"Wait a minute! I know who that is, Mamoru!" said the thin ninja as he broke out in a cold sweat. _Damn it! I never thought we have to face him! _He thought.

"Well," Mamoru said impatiently. "Don't just stare at him, Kyuichi! Who is he?"

"D-Don't you recognize his clothes from the descriptions we were given?!" Kyuichi asked. "That's..!"

"My name is Namikaze Naruto. I am the Seventh Hokage." Naruto said as he addressed the enemy ninja that his among the trees. His pupils in his eyes were orange and frog-like. Naruto adjusted the shield as he continued to talk. "I know you can hear me. I can sense each and every one of you. But I am not here to fight you. I am not here in the interest of being your enemy. I am here to tell you, that I understand."

While Naruto spoke the two ANBU listened intently. "Captain, what do we do?" The ninja asked. "We could use this opportunity to surround the enemy. What are your orders, Captain?" The ninja waited for an answer, but it did not come. The captain remained silent as he remained focused on Naruto. "Captain!? What are your orders? Sai!?"

Hearing his name, jogged Sai out of his deep thoughts. He then looked at the ANBU ninja next to him and said, "Nothing. We do nothing for now. Let Naruto-kun handle this his way. But be prepared if the enemy makes a move."

_******Meanwhile******_

"Namikaze Naruto!?" Mamoru yelled. "Damn it! We were supposed to get in the Land of Fire, find what we were sent here for and get out! Dealing with him was not part of the plan."

"We should fall back," Kyuichi said. "You know what we were told. We have orders to flee on sight if we come into contact with that guy."

"Wait Kyuichi," Mamoru said. "I know this guy is the Hokage. But we've got over thirty powerful ninja on our side. I think we could take him."

"Don't be an idiot Mamoru!" Kyuichi said. "You know what this guy did during the previous war. We were both there that day and saw what he was capable of."

"Yeah," Mamoru said as he clenched his fist. "I saw alright. I saw these Konoha bastards take down our comrades. I saw them look down on us and hunt us. I saw what this guy did to Madara-sama. And now we have him right in front of us, and we're supposed to just run away?!"

Naruto stood silently for a moment hoping to see some sign of response. And though, with his sage chakra activated he could sense where each enemy was he saw no sign of anyone coming towards him. No sign that they seemed interested in negotiation. "I know why you're here," Naruto said. "You're here because you're angry. You're here because you're tired of being ignored. You're here because you can't forgive the past. But you must move on. Akatsuki is dead. You now fight for a dead cause and for a man who never truly valued you as anything more than fodder."

"But I value you," Naruto said. "Even though you are enemies I value you as people; as human beings. And I understand you're frustrations. And I promise you this; if you stand down now I will not persecute you. Set aside your personal vendettas and together we can come to a mutual agreement that prevents future bloodshed. This world is changing. The need to spill the blood of others for gain is not the way of this new world. I give you my word, as Hokage that you have nothing to fear from us. But only if you stop now."

"So I give you this one option," Naruto continued. "Surrender now, or deal with the consequences. But you will not set another foot into our land. This I promise you."

Mamoru gritted his teeth as he could feel the rage boiling inside him. _Stand down? Give up? How dare this bastard look down on us!? Akatsuki isn't dead! Our cause isn't dead!_

"Mamoru, let's go," Kyuichi said. "You heard him. We should get out of here while we still can."

"We can take him," Mamoru whispered.

"What?" Kyuichi asked.

"I said we can take him!" Mamoru responded.

Naruto sighed as he waited for a response that never came. "I guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way."

Just then someone yelled, "There you are!"

Naruto suddenly felt a chill up and down his spine as he heard the familiar voice. His eyes widened and he began to sweat as he slowly looked behind him. No one was there. But as he glanced down he saw a shadow at his feet that was not his own that was increasing in size. Naruto looked up to see someone descending upon him. "Shannaro!" Sakura screamed as she punched Naruto in the head with enough force to send him hurtling to the ground and leaving small crater underneath him.

Shocked, both the ANBU and the Akatsuki recoiled in horror at Sakura's brutal entrance. "Grr!" Sakura grumbled as she stomped over to where Naruto lay and pulled him up to his feet by his collar.

"Oh! Hey Sakura!" Naruto said as he smiled nervously. "What are you doing way out here?"

"The question is, why the hell are you out here!?" Sakura yelled as she shook Naruto violently like a rag doll. "You promised me that you would let ANBU handle this situation! Don't you know you can't just go running out to fight every threat yourself!? You're the Hokage! You need to remain in the village for the protection and comfort of the people! What the hell are you thinking!?"

Naruto hung limply in her hands as he tried to fight the wave of nausea and dizziness caused by her violently shaking him. A moment passed before he shook his head and regained his focus. He then gently touched Sakura's hands with his own and got her to release him. "Now Sakura," he said with a smile. "Let me explain."

_******Meanwhile******_

"Shit!" Kyuichi yelled. "We're done for now! That's Namikaze Sakura; Naruto's wife! We were instructed to flee on sight if she showed up too! How the hell can we deal with the both of them?! We have to get the hell out of here Mamoru!"

"No," Mamaru said. "We can do this."

"Are you insane!? Didn't you hear what I just said!?" Kyuichi said in disbelief. "Now isn't the time for foolish bravado. We can find another way to get what we want!"

"Shut up Kyuichi and look at them." Mamoru said with a grin. "They're so caught up in their argument that they aren't even paying attention. We can get the drop on them, I know we can! Signal the men to prepare the explosive tags. We'll hit them with a volley of explosions they can't possible escape!"

"But..!" Kyuichi said.

Mamoru grabbed Kyuichi by his neck and yelled, "I said do it!" Mamoru let Kyuichi go and Kyuichi glared at him venomously as he rubbed his sore neck. Without saying a word, Kyuichi turned so that his men could see him and gave them the signal. Instantly, the ninja began to get in position as they drew their weapons.

"We have a problem captain," The Hyuga ANBU ninja said as he scanned the surroundings.

"What is it?" Sai asked.

"We've got movement!" The ninja replied. "The enemy is spreading out among the trees. Even the segment that was on the ground is spreading out in a semi circular formation around the Hokage and Lady Sakura. It looks like they're preparing to attack. Orders?"

Sai looked out towards the forest and then down at Sakura and Naruto. "We hold," He said. "The Hokage has things under control. Just be prepared for a counter offensive."

"So you see Sakura?" Naruto said. "You really don't need to worry. I have everything under control."

"That's not the point Naruto," Sakura responded. "It's not about whether you have everything under control or not. It's about you running yourself ragged and not believing in your comrades."

"I have complete faith in my comrades!" Naruto said defensively.

"Then why are you here?" Sakura asked. "Why are you here instead of in your office right now? Why is it that every time we have to deal with a few Akatsuki insurgents you have to personally handle it? We have the ANBU here. We have other ninja. This isn't your sole responsibility!"

"Are we in position?" Mamoru asked Kyuichi.

"Yes." Kyuichi answered.

Mamoru glared at Naruto and Sakura as they argued. _This is it_, he thought_. My chance at glory. Akatsuki will rise again!_ "Fire!" Mamoru yelled and immediately all of the ninja hurled their explosive tag kunai at the pair who continued to argue without acknowledging they were under attack.

"Taicho!" The Hyuga ANBU ninja yelled at Sai as he saw the dozens of kunai hurtling towards Naruto and Sakura.

"Calm down," Sai responded calmly. "That kind of attack is meaningless to those two. The enemy just doesn't realize it yet."

The kunai began to land all around Naruto and Sakura and they immediately began to explode engulfing the couple in flames and debris. "Direct hit!" Mamoru yelled happily as Kyuichi stared in slack jawed disbelief.

"Taicho!" the ANBU ninja yelled in a panic as he began to get to his feet.

Sai reached over and put his hand on the ninja's shoulder and pulled him back down to a crouched position. "You really must learn to better control your emotions." Sai said. "You may be new to ANBU but you need to remember to have more faith in your Hokage."

As the flames and smoke began to die down everyone looked on in rapt attention to see the results of the attack. It was at that point they were shocked to find both Naruto and Sakura standing in the same spot surrounded by what looked to be a dome of wind and they were arguing as though nothing had happened. "What?!" Mamoru yelled in disbelief. "How?! They didn't even move! We caught them dead on!

Sai smiled underneath his mask and looked at the young ANBU ninja. "You see. Not a problem," He said.

Surprised, the ninja said, "But, when did he..?"

"It happened about a second before impact," Sai said. "He did it so fast that even I barely caught it. He used one hand to create the hand sign for this jutsu. I believe he calls it Protection of the Mamoru no Fujin no Jutsu (Protection of the Wind God Jutsu). He creates a wall of wind so powerful that it can push back against projectiles and even explosions of that size. It's why he's called the Red Tornado of Konoha. He has mastered wind style to unprecedented heights."

"It's my job, as Hokage to protect my people and my comrades!" Naruto said. "I made a promise to myself that as Hokage, no one would die under my watch!"

"Naruto, you can't protect everyone from doing their duty!" Sakura yelled. "They are ninja and they know what choosing to live his life could ultimately mean for them."

Mamoru gritted his teeth. Not only did they somehow survive the attack but they continued to argue with no recognition of the danger they were in. It was as if these two ninja didn't consider them a threat. They were like insects to them. Insignificant. And that was something Mamoru could not abide. "Again!" He turned and yelled at Kyuichi. "Attack them again!"

"No! We should use this time to escape," Kyuichi said. "Our attack failed and we don't have any explosive tags left."

"Then have the men use normal kunai!" Mamoru yelled.

"Enough, Mamoru!" Kyuchi yelled. "We tried things your way and it didn't work! We need to retreat and regroup!"

Mamoru suddenly turned and stabbed Kyuichi in the throat with a kunai. "The new Akatsuki has no room in it for cowards," Mamoru whispered as she stared into his former comrades' stunned eyes. Mamoru slowly guided Kyuichi's dead body down, so it would not fall out of the tree. He then stood so his men could see him and signaled them to attack.

"It's my job to protect and fight for the people of Konoha. How can I just sit there and send my comrades on missions where I know they might not return?" Naruto asked. "How can I do that when I know that I could help?"

"You do it because you are Hokage," Sakura responded. "You do it because running yourself ragged does your people no good. You do it because…because…you love me." As Sakura continued to speak, dozens of kunai emerged out of the trees, hurtling towards them. But again, neither of them paid any attention to them as they crashed against the air dome and fell harmlessly to the ground. "Look at yourself, Naruto," Sakura said. "You're exhausted. You've been pushing yourself to hard, trying to be everything to everyone and you just can't. The human mind isn't capable of taking this kind of pressure. And neither is the body." Sakura stroked Naruto's cheek. "I'm afraid if you keep pushing yourself too hard something bad could happen."

Naruto hugged Sakura tightly to his body. "Nothing is going to happen," He said as he looked into her eyes. "I promise."

Mamoru was stunned as he saw the couple embrace amidst the carnage he'd tried to unleash upon them. Not one single kunai got through the dome and they all lay scattered about. Mamoru pulled a kunai from his pouch and squeezed the handle tightly. _There has to be a weakness_, he thought. _There has to be a way through!_

As Sakura and Naruto kissed, Mamoru saw the opening. Naruto was distracted and the dome was weakening. "Now!" Mamoru yelled as he threw the kunai so hard that he wrenched his own arm.

The kunai flew through the air at incredible speed aimed at the two lovers as they continued their passionate embrace. Mamoru looked on in eager anticipation as the blade closed in on its target. Sakura and Naruto stopped kissing and Sakura took a step back. And then, with incredible speed she reached up and grabbed the kunai out of mid air, inches away from the side of Naruto's head. Without even looking at it she placed her thumb on the blade and snapped it in half. The blade tumbled to ground as she threw the hilt away behind her.

Naruto laughed then said, "Well since I'm already here, can I at least see this through?"

Sakura sighed and then said, "Fine. Finish it quickly."

Naruto smiled and then looked out towards the trees. "It already is," he said.

Mamoru suddenly felt a sudden nervous as he stared back at Naruto who, despite the fact that Mamoru believed himself to be well hidden, seemed to be staring right at him. Before Mamoru could react he heard a voice right behind him and, worse yet, a sharp object jammed precipitously under his jaw. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," the person said. "You really should have taken my offer."

Frozen in shock and fear, Mamoru put his hands up and moved his head slightly to see who was behind him. His eyes grew wide when he saw that it was a smiling Naruto. _How did he sneak behind me and my men?!_ He wondered. It was at that point he was able to see that there was a Naruto standing behind all of his men. Each Naruto had a kunai at the throat of his men, forcing them all to surrender. "Clones," Mamoru said without moving his lips too much for fear of getting cut. "When did you..?"

"Do you know what the one set back to setting off a massive explosion like that one is?" The Naruto clone asked. "If the attack fails then all that smoke and debris now acts as a perfect screen for your enemy. I made the clones then. And you and your men were so focused on seeing if your attack succeeded you didn't notice that I was surrounding you." The Naruto clone looked down at the dead ninja next to Mamoru. "You actually killed you're own comrade? Is this all Akatsuki is made of now?"

Mamoru slowly faced forward and glared at Naruto who stood smiling up at him. _So this is the Seventh Hokage?_ He thought.

_******Sometime Later******_

The large crowd that lingered around the village entrance roared happily as Naruto led the group of captured ninja through the gates. Walking next to him was Sakura and on his other side was the masked captain of the ANBU. Behind them were the prisoners, who marched into the village with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads lowered in shame. They were surrounded by ANBU ninja and the clones Naruto had created. As soon as they entered the village, several ninja arrived to take the place of Naruto's clones. Naruto dispelled the clones and allowed the ninja to take the enemies away to the prisons. "Thanks for the help today," Sai said to Naruto. "But in the future, let me know before you just show up on the battlefield."

Naruto patted Sai on the back and replied, "Now where would the fun be in that?" Sai shook his head and walked off behind the prisoners to ensure they were taken care of, leaving Naruto and Sakura alone with the throngs of villagers.

"Lord Hokage-sama!" One girl screamed.

"He did it again!" An older man yelled.

"No one can defeat our Hokage!" A young boy exclaimed.

"He's so strong and cute!" Shouted another woman.

"Can we have your autograph!?" A few young, voluptuous girls asked.

Naruto stopped and blushed as he scratched his head. "Well sure," he said to the girls with a big smile. "I can sign a few for you."

"Don't get too carried away Naruto," Sakura said as she stood right behind Naruto and glared at him.

"Now, now there's no need to be jealous Sakura," Naruto said as he signed the pieces of paper. "It's just childish. These are just loyal fans."

"Uh huh," Sakura said as she pulled Naruto away.

"Umm, Lady Sakura," someone said as they pushed through the crowd.

Sakura turned and saw a handsome young man with fair skin, black hair and light brown eyes. He was tall and muscular. "Can you please sign your autograph?" He said happily. "I'm training myself to be a medical ninja and you are my hero."

"Oh!" a blushing Sakura said with a smile. "No problem. Who can I make this out to?"

Naruto was busy signing autographs when he looked over to see Sakura with the good looking stranger. "Hey!" He said as he walked over. "I think we've signed enough autographs today."

"No, Naruto you're right," Sakura responded teasingly. "We owe it to our fans to show them some attention."

Realizing that she was messing with him Naruto gave a sour smile and took the paper and pencil out of her hand and gave it back to the stranger. "I think we're done for the day." He said as he took Sakura by the hand and led her through the crowd.

"What's the matter Naruto? Jealous?" Sakura asked with a smile. "You shouldn't act so childish."

As the couple made their way out of the crowd they say Shikamaru walking directly towards them. "Naruto! Sakura!" He said as he walked up.

"Ugh!" Naruto said as he tried to brush Shikamaru off. "If this is about me sneaking out I already got an earful from my wife Shikamaru."

"No it's not about…" Shikamaru said before Naruto cut him off.

"Just give us some time alone Shikamaru," Naruto responded. "I promise I'll be back in my office reading boring documents soon enou-"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled, cutting him off. It was then Naruto and Sakura noticed the look on Shikamaru's face. It was a look they had not seen for a long time. In fact, it was a look Naruto hadn't seen on his friends face since the war. Since Lee. "Naruto there…there's something…" Now they could see that Shikamaru had been crying. And that even now it seemed he was fighting the tears back.

Shikamaru looked at them with a look of pure despair etched on his face and said, "Naruto, something terrible has happened."

_To Be Continued…_


	2. For A Friend

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Curse of the Namikaze. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: Codegeasslulu; Drums4life; charles cdv; GodRealm; Dark Waffle; BlueEyedBabyy; FoxSage19; 05rolive; kurama75; dbzgtfan2004; reverse read; Ryuuko Izawa; The Flying Lion & Ben Vilhaven.

_**RESPONCES**_

** Codegeasslulu** - Yep! It's back. Sorry for the long wait. Couldn't really be helped. Yes, unfortunately I can't do a weekly release like I used to. The Chronicles series isn't the only thing I'm working on which limits my time. Bi-weekly is the best I can do.

** Drums4life** - Thanks. I hope you enjoy.

** charles cdv** - Thanks.

** GodRealm** - What the hell are you doing up at 4am?! Lol! Anyway, glad to have you on board G.R.

** Dark Waffle** - Good to be back! Although I never actually left you know. Don't tell me you're not reading my other works?! :( Lol! Yes, Kabuto is the villain. But is he the only one? Hmm! i must admit, as much as it is odd for you to read it was equally odd for me to write about Naruto and Sakura being in a relationship instead of dancing around it. And yes, the make out scene was a way to remind everyone from the beginning that this not not the normal will they/won't they story. The will, they are and they did! Lol! I must admit though it is refreshing to write a story about them being together. It's going to be fun. That scene was also significant in letting new (and reminding old) readers know that this Naruto is a badass. He's not learning to master techniques. He is already a master. He is every bit the ninja his father was. He is...THE HOKAGE in every sense of the word.

** BlueEyedBabyy** - Well, I have to get your attention right? That means, action comedy and even a bit of romance for the first chapter. This is going to be fun BlueEyedBabyy. I hope you enjoy.

** FoxSage19** - Glad to hear from you bro! Yes, Shikamaru's words were ominous indeed. Especially if you remember my teaser. ;)

** 05rolive** - Thanks

** kurama75** - Thank you

** dbzgtfan2004** - Narusaku FTW!

** reverse read** - Thank you. I eagerly await to see what you think of it.

** Ryuuko Izawa** - Oook! Well, thanks. Lol!

** The Flying Lion** - Shit! How do I even begin with this? First I guess I should comment on Sai, Neji and the others. I've always believed that this manga is more than just the main character and his struggles. To me and many of you out there Naruto has many lovable and relatible characters that we all are invested in and would love to see developed to the utmost. Now unfortunately Kishi seems to have narrowed his focus lately. But when I started this it was always my goal to try to delve deeper into some of these characters such as Shikamaru and Sai.

Sai especially grew on me as I tried to show his growth from an emotionless tool of battle to a friend, comrade and even lover. Ozuru (believe it or not) was not someone I ever planned to use beyond the intro for book II. But as time went on I began to formulate a way he could be used in this story not just in book III but beyond as well. Ozuru still has a role to play. As for how he relates to Naruto and Sakura, he is treated like a little brother. Much like how Iruka used to treat Naruto.

Neji is still a favorite of mine (and I'm bumbed he's dead. Though I don't believe he will remain so.) and I don't know why but I really loved the idea of this reserved (almost intoverted) character falling in love with an extrovert like Ino. They completment eachother in a way that I think can be believable. Lee's death still lingers over him and all the others as you will see in time.

As for minor characters and why I will sometimes show things from their perspective, it's because by doing so you can give the story and the locations more life. It helps to show that this is a living, breathing world they exist in. Konoha isn't just about Naruto and his friends. It's about all the people. The day to day citizens. The same goes for the villains. I believe that by showing things from their perspective you get to understand them which makes them less one dimensional and more compelling.

I hope you enjoy this little adventure I'm about to take you on. I know I'm enjoying writing it.

** Ben Vilhaven** - thanks.

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Okay so here is the chapter two. I hope you enjoy and **please** remember to leave a little **review** when done for me. I feed of them like a baby chick. Lol! And don't forget the next chapter of my other ongoing Naruto series "_S__even Sins_" will be out next week. Lol! Thanks.

* * *

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter II: For a Friend

On the far side of Konoha, near the cemeteries; there exists a large stone low-rise building. Ominous and foreboding, this building sits at the end of a well manicured garden path. Despite its size, the building itself was only comprised of one room. Lit by only a few torches, the room itself was expansive and made of pure stone, and contained very little furniture outside of a large desk and table.

Few ventured to this place due to its sobering purpose. There were no plants to give the room a pleasant fragrance. No windows to allow the rays of the sun and the view of the blue sky. No portraits adorned the wall. The atmosphere of the room was heavy with the anguished souls of years gone by. Those who ventured within its walls would swear they could hear the tears and gentle sobs of those who had come before as though all the past pain and sorrows had etched itself within the very walls.

For this was where Konoha's fallen ninja would be brought for final preparations before burial. This was where those who were closest to them, family and friends, could come and spend their last few minutes with their fallen loved ones.

It was here that Naruto found himself sitting in quiet contemplation in a chair near the center of the room. In front of him, in the very center of the room, was a cherry oak casket which contained one his oldest friends. Memories of good times and even some that were not so good, played in his mind as though they were fresh. From the times when this person teased him as a child, to their fight during the chunin exams and all the times thereafter when they fought side by side. Even the quiet times flooded back to him, when they would get together with all their friends to visit the baths or to eat together. Naruto remembered them all.

Naruto slowly got to his feet and walked around deliberately doing his best to not look at the casket. He felt heavy and moved as though he were wading through sand. As he sighed and looked around the room it dawned on him how much he hated this place. The sorrow that this place represented was almost unbearable to him. He could still hear the echoes of Hana's anguished cries as Sakura lead her out into the daylight. Hinata wasn't much better as she mourned her fallen comrade. It was Shino, who had been chosen to give some final words on behalf of the memory of his fallen comrade. Friends had gathered for a final private farewell before the public funeral and now he was alone unable to accept what was happening.

Finally he turned and looked at the casket. It was as if this was the moment he had to finally face the truth. That another friend had fallen. It was another smile and laugh that would now live on only in memory. Naruto walked over to the casket and stared at the cold, peaceful face of his friend. _Kiba._ Naruto thought as he touched his shoulder.

Just then Naruto heard the loud scrapping of the floor as the massive double doors swung open. Sunlight streamed in like an invading presence attempting in vain to overcome the gloom that saturated the room. Naruto glanced back and saw Sakura standing in the doorway, before looking back at the casket. "Naruto," Sakura said as she walked up to him. "It's time. Everyone's ready."

Naruto remained quiet as he stared at Kiba's face. Without saying a word Sakura slipped under his arm and hugged him as he hugged her back. "How could something like this have happened?" Naruto asked. "After all we've done. After all that we had to go through. All the sacrifices we made. And yet here we are having to bury another friend. Damn. Damn. DAMN IT!"

Sakura touched Naruto's cheek and made him look at her. "We'll find him Naruto." She said. "Whoever did this, we will make them pay for their crimes. They're running scared now. And we will find them."

"No," Naruto replied. "They're not afraid. Who ever did this doesn't know fear. Not yet."

_******A Short Time Later******_

In a darkened cave located deep underground, Kabumaru stood over a dead human body whose chest had been cut open. He reached into the man's chest and removed a bloody lung and placed it on a nearby scale. "Hmm," He said as he wrote down the weight on a notepad.

Just as he was about to remove another organ, he heard the door behind him open. He turned to see who it was and when he saw the familiar face he smiled. He then picked up a nearby towel and began to wipe the blood off of his hands. "Well?" He asked the person. "Do you have good news for me Deidera?"

"It seems things are going as planned, hmm." Deidera said as he walked up to Kabumaru. "Who's this?" He asked as he looked at the dead body. "He's not from the group of test subjects you have."

Kabumaru looked at the corpse and said, "Another ninja hunting for me I'm afraid. This one is from Amegakure. He and his companions got pretty close this time, I must admit. Unfortunately his remains were the only ones that were usable after I was done with them. I really do need to try to hold back."

"I still don't understand why you have to use such a roundabout way," Deidera said. "All this slow moving is annoying, hmm! You could just storm the place to get what you want, hmm!"

"True," Kabumaru said. "But that would bring undue attention to us right now. I'm just not ready to come out into the light just yet."

"You're concerned about secrecy, but you leave that Konoha ninja's body to find?" Deidera asked.

"All part of the plan Deidera," Kabumaru said as he turned back to corpse. "All part of he plan. Can you bring me another test subject? I need to make some comparisons. Try to pick one around the same height and build please."

For a moment Deidera stood motionless as he stared at Kabumaru. "Is there something else?" Kabumaru asked.

"Why are you keeping me around?" Deidera asked. "I'm sure you could find an assistant that was still alive to use. Why'd you choose me? Why won't you let me rest, hmm?"

Kabumaru laughed as he turned to face Deidera. "I never thought to hear such questions from you." Deidera continued to stare at Kabumaru, clearly un-amused. Kabumaru shrugged and replied, "I would think that the reasons would be obvious. You're the ideal assistant."

"Bullshit, hmm!" Deidera yelled.

"It's true," Kabumaru said. "It's not easy to find someone living that would have the stomach and ability for such work. And to be honest, of all the people I can reincarnate you are the best choice. I don't have to worry about dealing with preachy idiots or overly sadistic bastards. You are the best one. Besides, I can see in your eyes how much you would like to kill me. And I see the frustration you have knowing you can't. I find that look, to be entertaining."

"Fucking bastard!" Deidera said. "I'm getting sick of all this waiting around, hmm! We should just attack Konoha and take what we need."

"Like I said, that would bring too much attention," Kabumaru said. "Besides, I think you underestimate how much those Konoha ninja have grown." Kabumaru walked over to a small table and picked up a book and quickly leafed through the pages. "Since you released me from that damned ROOT prison, Konoha has seen incredible growth. Even now, I'm sure Naruto is meeting with his inner circle, which he relies upon for large decisions."

"Such as his wife," Kabumaru said. "Sakura Namikaze, a Jonin and captain of Konoha's Medical Corps. She is widely regarded as one of the world's premiere medical minds, long since surpassing her sensei Tsunade. Even I, a genius medical ninja in my own right, have to admit it's quite impressive."

Kabumaru turned a page and then said, "We also have Hyuga Neji. A Jonin many consider to be the third strongest ninja in Konoha. He is second in command of the Hyuga clan under his cousin, and fellow inner circle member, Hyuga Hinata, matriarch of the Hyuga. She has spearheaded fundamental changes within the Hyuga family including recreating the Konoha Military Police Force to which the Hyuga primarily command under Neji's watch."

Again Kabumaru turned a page. "Another member happens to be Hinata's fiancé Sai, former member of Konoha's now defunct ROOT. Though Konoha attempts to hide the true identities of their ANBU and Sai is believed to be nothing more than a part time academy instructor, he is in reality, captain of Konoha's ANBU; the youngest ever to be appointed the position."

"They also have Nara Shikamaru, a brilliant military mind who, during his time as member of the Twelve Guardia Ninja created dozens of military tactics that revolutionized modern warfare. He brought these methods to Konoha where he acts as General of Konoha's army. Not to mention the other elder advisors, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi and Umino Iruka."

Kabumaru closed the book with a thud and looked at Deidera with a smirk on his face. "And that is only his inner circle. I have yet to even mention other powerful Konoha Jonin like Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino or Aburame Shino."

"Ok, I get it," Deidera said as he was clearly annoyed. "So how do we get the scroll you're looking for?"

"Konoha has become like a mountain," Kabumaru said. "They are strong and immovable and far too high to climb. So what do you do if you come across a mountain you can't climb over?"

_******Meanwhile******_

"So how are the new prisoners?" Toshio said as he walked up to the young guard.

"Tai-cho!" The ninja, a short, baby-faced man with short brown hair and brown eyes, snapped to attention. His voice echoed through the stone walls. "No problems Tai-cho! The new prisoners seemed to have acclimated well, Tai-cho!"

"Calm down," Toshio said as he waved the ninja off. "There's no need to be so formal...ummm?"

"Fujiwara Yori, Tai-cho!" Yori said.

"Ah, yes, Fujiwara-kun," Toshio said as he rubbed his chin. "You're one of our new recruits right? A newly appointed Chunin?"

"Yes tai-cho," Yori said with a salute.

"I told you quit saluting," Toshio said. "I know you're new to the Guard Corps but we're a little bit more informal than the other Divisions in Konoha. So calm down kid. I might be the captain of the division but that doesn't mean you have to kiss my ass. Just do your job and we'll be fine, ok?"

"Ah, yes tai…I mean...Toshio-san," Yori said. Yori smiled at Captain Toshio.

Nara Toshio was a man everyone in the guard corps held in high regard. A former ANBU, Toshio rose to fame during the last war and when the Seventh Hokage, under the suggestion of his Inner Circle, created a division for the sole purpose of guarding the prison, Toshio was appointed captain.

Toshio was in his forties. He was a tall olive-skinned man, with black, shoulder-length hair that was tied in a pony tail. He wore the standard ninja outfit with the green flak jacket that every member wore. On the back of their jackets were four horizontal, black bars, indicating membership of the Guard Corps.

Toshio stood at the cell bars with his hands behind his back as he observed the prisoners as they went about their business. For five hours a day the prisoners would be let out of their cells and brought to this large room and allowed to have free time. They would play shogi, exercise, or just speak amongst each other.

"It seems peaceful today," Toshio said.

"It's always peaceful, Toshio-san." Yori said. "Even with those new prisoners from Akatsuki that came in. They've pretty much kept to themselves."

Toshio stared at the small group of ninja who were all huddled around one of the large tables in the back. They always spoke to each other in hushed tones and looked at everyone, even other prisoners, untrustingly. In the middle of the group was the one they called Mamarou, the leader of the group. Toshio glared at Mamarou who saw him and glared right back. Toshio, in his time as captain of this division, had seen many supposed tough guys come to the prison only to be broken. But there was something different about this one. Something almost feral in nature about him. "Keep your eyes on that one." Toshio said as he motioned to Mamarou. "He might try to cause trouble."

Yori looked at his captain with a confused expression. He'd never heard him speak with concern about any prisoner; especially one with no discernible kekkei genkai or jutsu.

Yori then looked back at the prisoners and noticed the tall, dark haired man sitting in the corner of the room. He was taller than even his captain with large muscles. He wore the standard, blue prisoners outfit but he had torn the sleeves off the shirt and kept it open, revealing his overly muscular chest and abs. He also had black bandages wrapped around his wrists and forearms. Yori noticed how deep dark the man's pupils were. It gave him a demonic look to him.

The man sat quietly with a large round stone, about the size of a kick ball. Though Yori had seen the man doing this before it always amazed him when he saw the man begin breaking pieces of the stone off with his bare hands as he whittled it down. He would then use his hands to shape the smaller piece into a stone figurine. Sometimes it was a dog, or a cat, a bird or even a young child.

Everyday the man would sit in the same place quietly and create these little stone toys. He had dozens of them around him and he would sometimes give them away to the other inmates. "Captain, who's that guy?" Yori asked.

Toshio looked over saw the man Yori was referring to. "Ah, that is the famous Shojimaru Inoue," Toshio said as Shojimaru used his thumb to break off a piece of the stone. "The call him Wind Walker Shojimaru or Demon of the Wind Shojimaru. He was a general of the Akatsuki forces that attacked Konoha almost five years ago. He was captured by the Alliance. He's from the Land of Valleys and is considered the greatest living master of the Body Flicker Technique."

"Body Flicker?" Yori asked.

"Yes," Toshio said. "Didn't they teach this in the Academy? The Body Flicker is a high speed movement technique that allows ninja to move at incredible bursts over short distances. It's a technique that was mastered and used by the Fourth Raikage and formally Uchiha Shisui. It is also used often used by ninja from the Land of Valleys. Because that land is predominantly made up of wide open spaces, the ninja there mastered techniques that allow them to travel quickly so they are not seen. One clan in particular was said to have mastered the Body Flicker to heights equal to if not beyond that of even the Forth Raikage. He is said to be the last of his clan and the greatest living master of the technique."

"He looks…freighting," Yori said.

"Hmm, he is imposing all right," Toshiro said as he nodded in agreement. "But, believe it or not, he's been a model inmate since his arrival. He's never caused any trouble and has even imposed his will on other inmates to prevent them from causing trouble."

"He did?!" Yori asked in shock.

"Yep," Toshiro answered. "It was a few months after he got here. The inmates started a riot for some stupid reason. And he just started throwing inmates around like ragdolls. Before my men could even gather to intervene, he'd already ended the riot single handedly. He had everyone sitting quietly like a bunch of school children. I then asked him why he chose to help and he said prison riots are a pain in the ass. And he just went back to making his figurines."

Toshiro laughed heartily and then said, "It was the damnedest thing! I know I'm supposed to hate him for all he's done to our village, but damn it I have to admit the guy is likeable when you get to know him. Anyway, don't worry about him. He's harmless."

Yori walked up to the bars and stared intently at Shojimaru. And much to his surprise, Shojimaru slowly turned and looked back. Yori jumped back from the bars and he could feel a chill run down his spine as he stared into Shojimaru's eyes that were as dark as coal. It was then he heard footsteps and when he looked back he saw Toshiro walking away with. "Keep up the good work kid."

Yori snapped to attention and said, "Yes Toshiro-sama!"

"And stop saluting!" Toshiro yelled as he disappeared down the hall.

Once his captain was gone, Yori turned and looked at the prisoners. His gaze once again fell on the large man sitting in the corner as he slowly carved his stone figurine with his bare hands. Once again he felt that cold chill run down his spine as he looked at him. _Tch! Harmless, huh? Yeah right!_

_******Meanwhile – At the Hokage Mansion******_

Naruto opened the large wooden double doors to the meeting hall and found everyone was already there. Sakura, Shikamaru, Shikaku, Sai, Inoichi, Hinata, Iruka and Neji were seated around the large circular, ornate table waiting in silence as Naruto made his way around to his seat, which was a large ornate, oak chair. The recent funeral weighed heavily on him as he seemed pale and exhausted. "Ok" Naruto said as he sat. "What do we have?"

"So far, not much," Sai said. "As you know Kiba's body was found near an Amegakure outpost near the border between The Land of Rain and The Land of Earth."

"The Arashikage was very helpful in transporting Kiba's remains and allowing us access to investigate," Inoichi said.

"And what did you find?" Naruto asked.

"Again, not much," Sai responded. "I sent in some of our finest ANBU. Inoichi-san also went along."

"From what we could gather, it appears that Kiba was torn apart by brutal means," Inoichi said. "However, it appears that he wasn't killed at that location. His body was moved there. We, along with some ninja from Amegakure, scoured the immediate area and interviewed the locals. There were no signs of any kind of battle and no one seemed to have seen or heard anything. Border security in the Land of Rain has been stabilized for the most part but it could be possible that we could be dealing with ninja from Iwagakure. Our men went as deep as we safely could into the territory but we still found no evidence. But I think it is still a strong possibility. Iwagakure has been in turmoil ever since the end of the war."

"After the death of the Third Tsuchikage, the nation fell into chaos." Shikaku said. "The place has been a hotbed for terrorist activity and from what we have learned even the remnants of Akatsuki uses Iwagakure as a headquarters. And after the attempted assassination of the Fourth Tsuchikage no one's seen him and things only got worse. The entire country is devolving into a state of anarchy. Civil war is a distinct possibility. We have no doubt that whoever the perpetrator is; they either came from or fled to the Land of Earth."

"What about the rest of Kiba's team," Naruto asked as he opened a nearby folder. In it contained a file with pictures and information on Kiba and three other young ninja. "He had three Genin with him. Do we have any idea where they are?"

Sai shook his head and said, "No sign of any of them."

Naruto took a deep exasperated breath as he looked out the window. Everyone could tell how hard he was trying to keep his cool. "What about the autopsy?" Naruto finally asked. "Did it reveal anything?"

Sakura shook her head. "Kiba's remains were…mangled to say the least. His chest was ripped open and some of his organs, including his heart, left lung and his entire intestine had been forcefully removed. Not to mention a chunk of his left leg and his entire right arm looked like it had been chewed off. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was attacked by a wild animal. Except…"

"Except?" Naruto asked.

"We found trace amounts of snake venom in his blood stream." Sakura said. "At least we think its snake venom. Personally I've never seen venom like it before. From what I can tell the enzymes in the poison paralyzes the victim while at the same time increases the victims' senses to an almost inhuman level."

"What would be the point of that?" Naruto asked.

"Most likely it's to…prolong and heighten the…suffering…of the victim." Sakura said hesitantly. "It would be a terrible but effective form of…of torture." Her words seemed to hang in the air and there was a deafening silence in the room. Naruto looked over to Hinata. He could see the anguish etched on her face and the tears welling in her eyes. Sai saw this and slipped his hand into hers and she gripped it tight. In that moment Naruto was happy they had found each other. It was in times like this he knew Hinata would need Sai most.

"How are you so sure it's snake venom and not some poison?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Sakura reached into a pouch and pulled out a small plastic bag and handed it to Naruto. In contained what looked like a very small bit of pencil shavings. "We found this under Kiba's fingernails." Sakura said. "We ran some tests and we found out that these are serpent scales. But again, we couldn't match them to any form of snake we have on record."

"So were talking about an enemy who uses snakes and snake venom?" Naruto asked. "But then that would mean…"

"We considered that too." Sakura said. "But Orochimaru is dead. He has been for years thanks to Sasuke."

"But what about Kabuto?" Naruto asked.

"According to the files we found in ROOT headquarters, they were able to capture Kabuto years ago," Sai responded. "According to the files, Kabuto was brought in to see if they could get any information from him. When that proved fruitless he was executed."

"Ok." Naruto said as he put the bag down. "But this still doesn't explain what the hell Kiba was doing anywhere remotely close to that border in the first place. How could a team sent on a three day mission near the southern borders of the Land of Fire end up hundreds of miles in the opposite direction almost two weeks later? What the hell happened on this mission?"

"We're not sure," Iruka said. "The mission we sent them on was a C-Rank mission to safeguard a farm in the southern region. We received confirmation from the land owner that Kiba's team completed their duties and left. However the owner did state that they left heading in the wrong direction. We're looking into it but we have no strong leads yet."

"So we have nothing?!" Naruto yelled and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Naruto," Sakura said as she saw him losing his patience.

"Right now all I'm hearing are excuses!" Naruto yelled as he began to rise out of his seat. Everyone was quiet and they all seem unnerved by Naruto's anger.

"Naruto," Sakura said again louder.

"One of our closest friends…one of my closest friends is dead and you have no leads!" Naruto yelled.

"We're doing the best we can," Iruka said. "But we don't have much to go on right now."

"That's not good enough!" Naruto yelled. "I want answers! And if I can't depend on you to find them then maybe I should find them mys-!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled angrily, causing Naruto to be silent. Naruto stopped and looked in her eyes. He could see the grief in them. He could see the same pain in his friends that he knew they could see in him. Naruto took a deep breath and sat down in his seat. Sakura grabbed his hand and squeezed gently to reassure him.

"I-I'm sorry," Naruto said. "I just…I know how hard you're all working to figure this out. I shouldn't have…"

"It's ok Naruto," Shikamaru said. "We all feel the same way. And we won't stop until we find out what happened."

"Right, right," Naruto said.

"You should get some rest Naruto," Inoichi said. "You look exhausted. We'll inform you once we learn anything."

"Ok," Naruto said as he rose from his seat. Sakura got up with him and walked out of the room.

As they walked down the room in silence Naruto couldn't help but recall all the good times he had with Kiba. "I failed him Sakura," Naruto whispered. "This is my fault."

"This is not your fault Naruto," Sakura said. "But we will find out who is responsible and we'll make it right."

"He's dead Sakura," Naruto said. "Nothing can make that right. And now we have three genin lost, possibly dead. How could this have happened? What the hell happened out there?"

_******Meanwhile******_

Mitsuko sighed as she stood at the mouth of the small cave. She looked out at the large forest that was being saturated by the heavy storm. She found the heavy rain to be a blessing and a curse because even though the storm prevented them from moving on it also washed away any tracks they'd left behind for their pursuer to follow.

She found her momentary thoughts interrupted when she heard the low moans coming from within the cave behind her and immediately picked up the small hollowed out piece of wood that she was using as a makeshift bowl. She quickly took the bowl deeper into the cave until she found her comrade Daisuke lying on the ground. Mitsuko used her flak jacket to prop up his head.

Daisuke was pale and moaning as he slipped in and out of consciousness and he was covered in his own dry blood. "Hey, I'm here," Mitsuko whispered as she sat next to him. "I'm here." She then held the bowl to Daisuke's lips. "Here, drink." Daisuke took a few small drags and stopped as he took a deep pained breath. Mitsuko then felt his cheek. _His fever is getting worse,_ she thought.

She then took a torn piece of clothe and dipped it into the remaining water and wiped Daisuke's forehead. Leaving the wet clothe on his head she began to inspect his wounds. He had a deep slash running down the left side of his chest that she was able to wrap but she knew he would need better medical care than what she was capable of. She was relieved to find the gash on his right arm had stopped bleeding. What really concerned her was the bite mark on his leg. Ever since he was bitten, Daisuke's health began to quickly deteriorate to the point that Mitsuko had to drag him here. Now his fever was increasing, all blood seemed to be draining from his body and he seemed incapable of talking.

Mitsuko inspected the bite mark and poured the remaining rain water on it which caused Daisuke to wince and grunt in pain. _Even water hurts him when it touches the wound?_ She thought as Daisuke calmed down and fell asleep. Mitsuko sighed. She wasn't a medic but she knew enough to realize that he was dying. And they were miles away from rescue. Mitsuko stared out the cave at the raging storm unsure of what her future would hold and if she would ever see her home again.

_******End of Chapter II******_


	3. Gathering

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: 25BAM50; *Guest*; FoxSage19; Reverse Read; Ben Vilhaven; GodRealm; The Flying Lion; PrinceGoku & Duesel10.

_**RESPONCES**_

** 25BAM50** - Thank you

** *Guest*** - Thank you. Too bad I don't know your name to thank you properly

** FoxSage19** - Akamaru's fate will be touched upon eventually

** Reverse Read** - Yes. This isn't just a straight action story. There is quite a bit of mystery in this one.

** Ben Vilhaven** - Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, Sakura has the ability to calm Naruto at times. As for the Gennin, they will be touched upon later on.

** GodRealm** - It had to be someone! Why not Kiba? Lol! But seriously it took quite a long time for me to decide on who would be sacrificed. In the end I found Kiba to be the best choice for what I want to do in this story and "possibly" beyond. That said, yes those happy days are gone but that is sort of the point of my version of Naruto. You must treasure the times you have with friends and family. Beause you never know how long they will last.

** The Flying Lion** - I wish I could answer your questions but that would give away too much of the plot. Just keep reading. lol!

** Princegoku** - Those are good recommendations My Lord Prince. But now what happens if you see that in the story? Was it my idea or yours?! Lol! Damn now I'm confused. Anyway, thanks for reading the series.

** Duesal10** - Whaaat!? You haven't read 1 - 3?! Hmm, well aren't you brave! Okay, not brave, but ballsy...yes...ballsy...what...no...well you're something alright. Anywho...I'm glad your reading and so you know it was my intent to kind of recap what happened in Books 1 - 3 for those who never read or just forgot. So you'll read moments that talk about what happened from time to time just to help people along. Glad you're enjoying the story. NOW GO READ BOOKS 1 - 3 and review each chapter! Lol!

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Ok first I'd like to apologize for not releasing a chapter last week as scheduled. I forgot that last Sunday was Easter and i just thought it would be best not to release one on the holiday. But missed weeks will not happen again...hopefully. Anyway, here is the latest chapter. **Please** remember to leave a little **review** when done. Thanks. (Next week: New chapter release for Seven Sins!)

* * *

**Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh**

**Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze**

**Chapter III: Gathering**

"Ah!" Kabumaru exclaimed excitedly as his hands were buried in the open chest cavity of one of his experiments. The human body lay on its back on the bloody, stone table. It was the remains of a young adventurer who wanted to travel the world to seek his fortune. Unfortunately he'd stumbled too close to Kabumaru's hide away and was captured.

Kabumaru continued to murmur to himself as he continued his investigation of his test subject as Deidara sat in the far corner in the shadows. Deidara tapped his foot impatiently as he sat in silence with his arms folded and his eyes closed. With every sound, with every exclamation Kabumaru made, Deidera could feel his annoyance growing. He wasn't sure how many hours or even days he'd sat there while Kabumaru continued his work, barely stopping to eat or drink.

"Yes!" Kabumaru yelled joyfully as he continued his work.

"That's it!" Deidara finally yelled causing Kabumaru to raise his head. "I can't take this shit anymore, hmm! I can't just sit around here with my thumb up my ass for days on end while you play witch doctor! If this is all you're planning to do then send me back to the fucking underworld until you need me, hmm!"

Kabumaru sighed. "You know for someone that's dead you sure are impatient. One would think that just having the opportunity to experience life in any facet would be enough."

"Well it's not!" Deidara replied angrily. "Have you any idea how badly I just want to blow something up?! It's eating away at me, hmm!"

Kabumaru sighed and stepped away from the carcass. He grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the blood off his hands and tossed the towel aside. "Very well," He said as he walked over to a nearby coat rack and grabbed his cloak. "We've done enough here anyway. I can always finish up later. It's time we made our next move Deidara. Let's head out."

_******Some Time Later******_

"Do you think he'll come?" Choji asked as he looked around the table.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ino replied. "Of course he'll come. Sakura will make sure of it."

Shikamaru sighed. "It always amazes me how you women can always bully your men like that."

"What was that?!" Temari yelled as she glared at Shikamaru.

"Nothing!" Shikamaru replied with a nervous smile.

Just then Hinata, who sat right across from Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and saw Naruto enter the restaurant, followed by Sakura. "There they are!" She yelled happily.

Naruto entered the restaurant and quickly scanned the room. When Sakura suggested that they head down to Ramen Ichiraku for a meal he was initially hesitant. _Now wasn't the time to relax and have a meal_, he thought. But Sakura was persistent and said that everyone was planning to meet there. Naruto thought it over and decided to go. It had been quite some time since they had all gotten together outside of work. As he now saw the warm smiles of his friends greeting him he knew he'd made the correct choice. Neji, Ino, Choji, Sai, Hinata, Shikamaru, Temari, TenTen and Shino. They were all here and Naruto suddenly felt a pang of relief to see their smiling faces. "Hey guys," he said as he walked up to the table.

"Naruto-kun! Sakura-chan! You guys are late!" Choji yelled. "We were just about to order without you!"

"Sorry we're late." Sakura replied with a smile as she pulled up a seat. "But it was a little more difficult than I thought it would be to get this guy out of his office. If it were up to him he'd work through the night."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. Were you guys waiting long?"

"Don't worry about it." Neji answered. "But you probably should apologize to Choji though. To have him waiting in the middle of Ichiraku's but unable to eat? The man was on the verge of tears."

"Whatever!" Choji scowled as everyone laughed.

"Aw, don't be mad Choji. Hey, where's Kazehana?" Naruto asked. "I would think your wife would be here. She's never one to turn down the chance to have sake."

"Sorry Naruto," Choji replied. "But she really isn't feeling too well today. She apologizes but she decided to stay in and sleep tonight." Naruto nodded. He was still amazed that Choji was able to find such a beauty as Kazehana. She was tall and extremely buxom with long dark hair that she usually wore in a ponytail. The two had met during Naruto's bachelor party. She was one of the dancers hired for entertainment that night. The two had seemed to hit it off and she was Choji's date for his wedding. A few years later and Naruto found himself at theirs.

"Maybe she's just worn out from all the loving my man Choji is giving her, huh Choji!" Shikamaru yelled as he nudged his friend and gave him a sly look. "I mean you two are still newly weds right? You keep this up and you'll ruin her amazing figure with a baby in no time!" Choji began to blush as he looked up in the sky.

"What are you thinking about?!" Temari and Ino yelled simultaneously while Temari smacked Shikamaru in the back of his head. "Don't be so damned perverted!"

"Now just who's amazing figure are you talking about?" Temari asked as she glared at her husband.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Shikamaru replied as he nervously stroked his goatee.

"You shouldn't be one to talk Shikamaru." Ino chided. "Considering the evidence of your perverted acts is before us." Ino gestured to Temari who wore a maternal dress to cover her burgeoning stomach.

Embarrassed and blushing, Temari glared at Ino and then at Shikamaru as everyone laughed. "He's the perverted one!" She yelled as she pointed accusingly at Shikamaru. "Taking advantage of a helpless girl!"

"Who's helpless!?" Shikamaru replied. "You practically raped me on our wedding night!"

"Shut up!" Temari yelled as she grabbed Shikamaru by the neck and shook him violently.

Naruto laughed as he watched his friends enjoy themselves. No matter how much tragedy they experienced in their lives he was happy to see that he and his friends could smile so easily together.

"Hey Naruto," Neji called. "Speaking of kids, when are you and Sakura going to have one?"

"Yeah billboard brow, Neji and I already have two!" Ino teased as she held her fingers up to her forehead, making the shape of an 'L'. "I already got a boyfriend and husband before you. Now I also beat you to a family, too. At this rate my two girls will be fine ninja before yours learn how to walk."

"Shut up Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled as a vein popped on her forehead and she shook her fist. "You challenging me to have kids?! Because I'll rape the crap out of him and my kids will be waaay smarter and prettier than your pig-faced kids!"

"Who the hell are you calling pig faced?!" Ino yelled as she placed a foot on the table. She had a vein popping out of her forehead as she clenched her fist. "You wanna take this outside?!"

Sakura waved her off and had a catlike grin on her face. "As if I'd bother fighting a pig-faced thug."

"Shut up you ugly..!" Ino yelled.

"Who you callin' ugly?!" Sakura replied as she too jumped to her feet and put her foot on the table and squared off with Ino.

Before the two women could escalate their feud Sakura felt Naruto's hand on her arm as he gently pulled her back into her seat. "That's enough you two. There's no rush to have kids Ino. It'll happen when the time is right. Right now, we're just enjoying being with each other." Sakura paused in her fuming at her rival and stared at Naruto as he smiled happily. She took a deep breath as she suddenly wasn't upset anymore. She smiled lovingly at Naruto and sat back in her seat.

"Tch!' Ino said. "You're sweet words are always killing my fun with Sakura, Naruto." Ino then smiled and sat down.

"Hey, I think we're all not focusing on the really important issue here." Neji said with such seriousness that everyone grew silent. Neji then turned to Sai. "When are you going to do the right thing by my innocent and precious cousin you letch! You've been dating for almost three years already."

Sai made a wide smile and said, "It'll happen when the time is right. Right now we're just enjoying being with each other."

Neji turned red with anger and leapt out of his chair. Grabbing Sai by his collar he lifted him out the chair and yelled. "Hey, you dumbass! That's just what Naruto said! You can't go around copying another man's heartfelt words!"

"Neji calm down and let the guy go!" Ino yelled.

"Neji-kun!" Hinata yelled as she tried to pry them apart.

"I don't see why you got so upset," Sai replied as he maintained his smile. "Naruto's heartfelt words mirror what I feel for your cousin."

"That's not the point!" Neji yelled. "Those two are married while you two are only dating. You need to take responsibility! Do I have to drag you're ass down the alter myself?!"

Sai placed his hands on Neji's. "I did read that male siblings will feel a sense of over protectiveness towards their female family members."

"Whatever," Neji responded angrily. "You think you can just run around with my precious cousin doing whatever perverted thing you like?"

"That's pretty stupid," Sai answered. "It's not like she and I have ever had sex."

Everyone paused as Sai said those words. Hinata blinked and stared at Sai in disbelief as she began to sweat and turn red. "Y-You two have…never…in three years?" Neji stuttered as he looked to Hinata and back to Sai and back to Hinata.

"Three years?" Ino murmured to herself in disbelief.

"Whoa!" TenTen murmured.

"What?" Sai asked as he looked around at the stunned faces. "What?" Hinata curled into a ball as she sat in her chair and buried her face in her arms. "I don't understand," Sai continued. "Weren't we all just joking about our sexual exploits? Is it such a stunning issue that Hinata and I are still virgins?"

"Ahh!" Hinata yelled as she shrunk in her seat even more. Everyone looked at the confused Sai and then the embarrassed Hinata, then did their best to act like they'd heard nothing.

Neji stared at Sai, slack jawed. "Well then…I guess…okay…keep it that way…I guess…" He stuttered as he slowly let go of Sai's collar and then brushed Sai's shoulders. He patted Sai on the shoulder awkwardly before taking his seat.

Naruto put his hand over his mouth and whispered to Sakura. "Kinda makes me feel better about the fact that you made me wait for almost two…"

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled loud enough only for him to hear.

Sai took his seat as he looked at everyone's faces. It was clear they were all a bit uncomfortable. He then leaned in to Hinata who remained curled in a ball and whispered. "Is it socially unacceptable to be virgins at our age?" Hinata peaked out from under her arms at Sai. "Perhaps we should do it tonight?" He asked.

"Stop talking about it!" Hinata screamed at the top of her lungs as she uncurled herself, throwing her arms out. Her overreaction caused everyone to laugh except for Neji who seemed on the verge of yelling at Sai when Ino held him down and put her hand over his mouth.

"Hokage-dono."

Naruto heard someone call his name from behind him and looked back. "Ayame-chan," he said as he saw the fair skinned brunette. "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to be so formal? Just because I'm the Hokage doesn't mean you have to treat me any different." Naruto said with a smile as he stood up. At that point his smile faded as he saw the somber look on Ayame's face.

"I-I just…Hokage-san…everyone…I heard about Kiba-kun," She said as tears began to well in her eyes. Everyone grew silent as they all looked at each other as they could all feel the heavy cloud descend upon them. "I'm so sorry." Ayame continued. She began to cry openly. "He…was such a good man. He came here with you all so often. I…just…"

Naruto suddenly moved in and hugged Ayame tight as she sobbed. Everyone at the table looked on in silence. Hinata leaned into Sai who threw his arm around her. Tears welled in Ino's eyes as Neji gently rubbed her back.

A moment passed before Ayame finally stopped crying and pulled away from Naruto. "I'm sorry," She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Look how ridiculous I'm acting in front of our Hokage."

"You don't need to apologize," Naruto replied. "And you don't need to be so formal. Just call me Naruto as you always have."

"No!" Ayame yelled defiantly. "You worked hard to achieve the status you earned. It would be too disrespectful for me to call you by your first name!"

Naruto laughed nervously as he scratched his head_. Are all women capable of being this scary? _He thought as he looked down at the woman.

"Anyway," she continued. "I just wanted to give my condolences; as well as to let you know that drinks are on the house." The very moment she said the words a waitress walked up with a tray of three bottles of sake and glasses for everyone.

"Thank you Ayame-kun," Sakura replied with a somber smile. Ayame nodded and left the group alone. Naruto returned to his seat. The mood was now far heavier. Ayame, despite her good intentions, had reminded everyone of the real reason they had all come here tonight; to privately mourn the loss of a good friend. "Shino, how is Hana doing?" Sakura asked. "I was hoping she'd show up tonight."

Shino shook his head. "She's doing as well as one could expect I guess. But she chose not to come out tonight and stay home with her husband."

"Perhaps that is for the best." TenTen replied.

"He really would have had enjoyed this," Hinata said. "He'd be happy to see us all together, smiling for him."

Realizing the mood was quickly spiraling down; Naruto reached for a bottle of sake and popped it open. "C'mon," he said; prompting everyone to do the same. When Temari reached for the bottle, Shikamaru batted her hand away and glared at her. She rolled her eyes and picked up her glass of grape juice.

When everyone had a glass in their hand Naruto raised his in the air and addressed everyone. "For all of our fallen friends, family and comrades."

"For Inuzuka Kiba!" Shino yelled.

"For Rock Lee!" Neji said as he gave a nod to TenTen who nodded back. Naruto glanced at the somber look on TenTen's face and felt heartbroken. Of all of them it was TenTen who took Lee's death years ago the hardest. Unable to cope, she had spiraled into depression for a short time, culminating in her decision to retire as a ninja. They all did their best to help her but it took a long time for her to move on. In time she was able to come to peace with his passing but she chose not to return to active duty, instead she turned to blacksmithing and, in a short time, became one of Konoha's premiere weapons' suppliers.

"For all of the fallen." Sakura continued. They all drank down their glass in silence and put them down.

Naruto took a long look at his friends and then at the bottles on the table. "I think we're going to need more sake."

_******Meanwhile******_

"Yori!" Toshiro Nara exclaimed as he walked down the hallway.

"Ah, hello Toshiro-sama," Yori replied cheerfully. "How are you tonight?"

"Fine, fine," Toshiro answered. "But what are you doing at the prisons tonight. Aren't you part of the day shift?"

"Yeah," Yori replied with a smile. "Aito-kun asked me to fill in for him tonight. He wasn't feeling too well."

"Hmm," Toshiro responded as he rubbed his chin. "I don't recall Aito putting in a request for the night off or providing the paperwork for a replacement."

"Really?" Yori asked. "He told me everything would be okay. As always you know all the activity taking place within this prison, Toshiro-sama. Will this be a problem?"

"Not for you it won't," Toshiro replied. "I'll have to remember to speak to Aito about following proper protocol. Anyway, you'll find things much quieter during the night shift as all the prisoners are usually asleep. But that doesn't mean to let your guard down."

Yori instantly snapped to attention. "Yes, Toshiro-sama! Of course, Toshiro-sama!"

Toshiro groaned and waved Yori off. "You still haven't learned to settle down yet have ya kid? Keep up the good work." Toshiro then walked off leaving Yori alone.

Yori walked through the silent hallways, greeting other guards that happened to pass by until he finally came to the barracks where the prisoners slept. The barracks was a large, square shaped, open space standing four stories high. Along the walls were small rooms, furnished with only a bed and toilet for each captive.

Yori opened the door and entered the massive area. The door swung shut with a heavy metallic clang that ran chills through his spine. Nervously, he reached into his pocket and held the keys he was given when he began his shift. He played with them while in his pocket. _Without these I won't get out of here_, he thought as he walked down the quiet hallways. Yori looked about and saw the other dozen or so guards that walked about the area. He couldn't deny the feeling of safety he felt from seeing them.

Yori was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the door that led to a prison cell slowly open as he walked by. Once Yori was out of sight the inmate poked his head outside. Satisfied that no one saw him, the man quickly and silently slipped out of his room. Keeping to the shadows, the man moved through the halls until he came to the door of another cell

He quickly opened it and slipped inside where he saw the large silhouette of Shojimaru sitting by the barred windows staring out into the darkness. In his hands was a stone that he continued to shape with his bare hands. Without looking back at his unexpected guest Shojimaru sighed and said, "How annoying. You have until the count of five to convince me not to snap your neck for coming in here uninvited."

"You're Shojimaru Inoue are you not?" The man asked. "Also known as "Wind Walker" Shojimaru? My name is…

"Pain in the ass." Shojimaru replied.

"What was that?" The man asked.

"You heard me." Shojimaru answered. "You…this conversation…it's all a pain in the ass. Stop dancing around and speak up. I already know who you are Mamoru, the leader of that piece of crap army that clings to past failures and outdated ideals. Five."

Mamoru smiled. "Well, then I guess there is no point to dance around things, should I, Wind Walker? After all you are a failed general of our failed rebellion."

Shojimaru chuckled as he snapped a small piece of stone off of the large block with his thumb. "Good one," he replied. "Four."

"Why is someone like you, a man who could easily escape from a place like this, staying here making rock toys?" Mamoru asked.

"Why would I leave?" Shojimaru answered. "Three meals a day, a warm bed and all the rocks I could ask for. This isn't a bad life. Three."

"So you're content spending your life in captivity, with your little rocks," Mamoru asked as he looked around the room. It was littered with stone blocks and hand made figurines of all shapes and sizes.

Again Shojimaru chuckled. "Did you really come all this way and forfeit your life just to question me about me about my hobbies? Two."

"No." Mamoru replied with a smirk. "More like I came to confirm where your allegiances lie."

"I am allied to no one." Shojimaru answered. "One."

"But that's not entirely true is it?" Mamoru asked. Mamoru bent down and looked closely at all of the figurines. "Such intricate detail for someone doing this with your bare hands. I think you've made one for every animal in existence."

Finally, Shojimaru looked over at Mamoru and rose to his feet. He towered over the much smaller man. "Zero." He said as he slowly walked towards his target.

Without rising to his feet Mamoru looked up and said, "And yet you have hidden the snake."

Shojimaru paused and stared down at the man with his charcoal eyes. "The snake isn't hidden." He replied. "It remains in plain sight."

"Ready for the opportune time to strike at its prey." Mamoru replied as he rose to his feet. Silently, Shojimaru turned and walked over to the wall next to his bed head. There were several dozen figurines of random sizes sitting there. Treating them with the patience and care of a newborn, he moved them aside until he could see the bare wall. With one quick tap of his massive knuckles, Shojimaru shattered the small section of the wall. He reached in and removed a dusty snake figurine, the length of his forearm. He then walked over to Mamoru and handed it to him.

Mamoru immediately wrapped the item in a cloth he carried in his pocket and stuffed it into his pants leg. "We begin just before dawn." He said before immediately heading for the door. He silently opened it and peeked out before disappearing into the hallway.

Shojimaru took a deep breath and carefully placed his figurines back to cover the hole he'd made in the wall. He then returned to sitting on the corner of the bed and stared out the window. "This really wasn't a bad life," he said with a hint of melancholy as he returned to his hobby.

_******Some Time Later******_

"I want fried eggs!" Sakura yelled as she kicked and screamed wildly while Naruto carried her in his arms.

"We don't have any fried eggs." Naruto responded with than a hint of annoyance. He'd tried to stop Sakura from drinking too much at Ichiraku's. She wasn't really known for being able to hold her liquor. But despite his best efforts she was now beyond her limits forcing Naruto to have to carry her home. As they walked through the halls of Hokage Mansion, Naruto couldn't help but still smile. As annoyed as he was at her now he was still grateful to her for convincing him to come out tonight. He really needed the time with his friends.

"I want fried eggs!" Sakura yelled as she kicked about like a spoiled toddler.

"We don't have any fried eggs Sakura," Naruto replied. "It's the middle of the night. Please be quiet." Naruto looked down to see she'd passed out again. She was snoring loudly and a bubble of mucus hung from her nostril. "Yuck." Naruto mumbled.

"Hokage-sama?"

Naruto turned to see who called him. The only persons who should be here were the few guards that where posted outside. "Oh! Ozuru! What are you doing here so late at night?" Ozuru walked up to the couple. His brow furrowed as he stared at Sakura hinting at his concern. "One glass of sake too many." Naruto said with a smile.

Sakura suddenly opened her eyes and lifted her head. She looked over at Ozuru and squinted her eyes as she tried to see who the person was. Her face was flush and her eyes glassy. "Ohhhh!" She slurred. "Ozuruuuuu, do me a favor…go make me eight fried eggs." Sakura burped and giggled happily before closing her eyes and going limp in Naruto's arms. Ozuru looked up at Naruto who quickly shook his head. Suddenly they heard Sakura snoring.

"Anyway," Naruto continued. "It's after ten. What are you doing here so late?"

"Sakura-sensei asked me to finish up some experiments at the hospital," Ozuru responded. "I wanted to bring the results and leave them in her office and finish up a few things so she would have them first thing."

"Hmm," Naruto said as he looked at the ceiling in deep thought. "Is that the reason you decided to stop by here?" Naruto then looked at Ozuru teasingly and continued. "Or is it that you came by to secretly spend some time with that kunoichi, Riku Hyuga? She's doing guard duty at the mansion tonight isn't she?"

"Wh-What!? How did you kn..?!" Ozuru replied nervously as he turned bright red. "I-I mean…I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Because it really looks like you got a thing for her."

"Awww!" Sakura yelled as she suddenly looked up. She reached out and grabbed Ozuru by his cheeks and pulled on them. "My shweet Ozuru is in lub!? You're reaaally not a kid anymore are ya?" Sakura burped and giggled. "Ozuru…let me give you the secwet to a woman's heart!" Ozuru leaned in intently. "Eggs. Lots and lots!" Again she giggled, burped and passed out.

"Tch!" Ozuru said in frustration as he folded his arms. "I told you guys I'm just here to finish some work for Sakura-sama!"

Naruto laughed. "Sure you are. Anyway, you work too hard for this woman of mine Ozuru." Naruto walked past him and continued down the hall. Looking back at him, Naruto winked and said, "Tell Riku I said hi for me, okay."

_******Several Hours Later******_

Naruto sat in his favorite cushioned, wicker chair on his apartment balcony and stared out at the large full moon and stars. Naruto loved nights like this. Without a cloud in the sky he could see all the stars and there was the smell of the crisp night air. And with it now being late the village was quiet. This was the perfect time to clear his head and settle his raging soul.

Naruto took a sip of the sake he had in his hand then placed it the cup back on the ground next to him. Despite it being after two in the morning, he couldn't sleep. The events of the last few days played over and over in his mind. _I'm missing something_, he thought as he sat there. _Something we're just not seeing. _

Naruto considered every bit of information he'd been given. Every clue. Kiba and his team according to what they knew did travel to and complete their assigned mission. But why didn't they return home? Why did they travel off in another direction? And the snake scales found under Kiba's nails. A snake of an unknown type? Along with human DNA? Orochimaru was dead. Of that Naruto was sure. But Kabuto? All they knew for sure came from the files they confiscated when ROOT fell several years ago that stated that Kabuto was captured by ROOT agents, interrogated and terminated.

Naruto continued to think things over when he heard Sakura groan behind him. He looked back to see her walking from the bed towards the glass balcony door. She slid it open and stepped out. She was wearing a white, ankle length nightgown with spaghetti straps. "You're up?" Naruto asked as she walked out. She winced as she rubbed her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She said with a smile. "My head hurts a little but I'm fine. I guess I over did it huh?"

"Just a little." Naruto chuckled. "I'm surprised you're even up so soon. I was sure you'd be out until noon."

Sakura walked up to the white banister and leaned over. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the night air. Her long, pink mane wafted in the breeze majestically. "I know." She replied. "I think it may have something to do with my Kekkei Genkai. I've been running tests on just what my capabilities are and I think my chakra has the ability to not just increase my ability to heal from physical wounds but it also allows me to recover faster from the affects of foreign substances that enter my body like poisons and alcohol. It works much in the same way as the Kyuubi did for you."

Naruto nodded but remained silent. He'd learned long ago that if he were to ask any follow up questions it would spur Sakura on to go into an hours long, in depth conversation using more complex medical terminologies and words that he couldn't possibly keep up with. Nod and smile. That was the way to go.

Naruto looked up to see Sakura staring back at him with a smile on her face. Under the light of the full moon he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was and how lucky he felt to have her. "So, why are you still awake?" Sakura asked. Naruto took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. Seeing the apprehension in her husbands' eyes, Sakura sighed and walked over and sat on his lap as she threw her arms around him.

"Sakura, what..?"

Before he could finish his sentence Sakura kissed him passionately. After a moment she pulled away only slightly. "My plan was to take your mind off of this for at least one night." She whispered. "Clearly I haven't done my job. I'll have to take responsibility for that won't I?"

"Sak..!" Once again Sakura began to kiss him leaving him unable to speak. Naruto lifted her off his lap and got to his feet. "Sakura, I…appreciate what you're trying to do. But you don't need to."

Sakura had sly smile on her face as she began to walk towards him as Naruto began to step back. There was a seductive aura that enveloped her now. She was as a lioness, confidently moving in on her helpless prey. Naruto opened the door to their apartment and stood just inside as Sakura closed in. "What are you saying?" She asked. "You're my husband right? I'm your wife. Such things are sometimes expected, no? Don't speak as if this is something I'm being forced to do."

"No! It's not that," Naruto protested. "I just..!"

"Naaaruuuto," Sakura purred. She lightly ran the nail on her index finger down his bare chest. "We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way."

"Sakura I…"

Once again Sakura cut Naruto off. "Tch! It looks like it's going to be the hard way." She said with a toothy, cat like grin and with one push of her finger she sent a screaming Naruto flying into the air and crashing into their bed. Sakura giggled as she looked at his confused face. She then slowly slid the straps off her shoulders allowing her nightgown to fall around her feet. "Good."

_******Several Hours Later******_

"Ahh!" Toshiro Nara exclaimed as he placed his feet up on his desk in his office. He'd finished walking around the entire prison facility as he loved to do every few hours. It was important for not only the morale of his men but to remind the inmates that Toshiro Nara, warden of Konoha's maximum security prison was here, alert and ready. Nothing escapes his gaze and no one escapes his prison.

Toshiro opened his eyes and reached into the top drawer in his desk and removed a half finished bottle of sake and a glass. He poured himself a shot and drank it quickly. He then placed the glass down, folded his arms and closed his eyes. A few minutes passed when an explosion nearly rocked him out of his seat. An instant later, alarms began blaring throughout the complex. "What the hell!?" Toshiro yelled in disbelief.

Just then a young guard came stampeding into the room. "Tai-cho!" He yelled as he snapped to attention.

"What's going on out there?!" Toshiro asked.

"It's a prison break!" Answered the clearly frazzled ninja.

"What?!" Toshiro yelled in disbelief. "Not on my watch! Who's trying to escape?"

"A-All of them, sir!" The guard stammered.

"All of them?" Toshiro asked. "Th-That's not…possible." _All of them?! _Toshiro thought. _This prison housed nearly four hundred of some of the most dangerous criminals in the Land of Fire, including members of the now defunct Akatsuki terrorist group. Even with the chakra seal on them they were all still dangerous. If they ever got out of here and made it back to the village…_

"Lock down the facility!" Toshiro commanded. "I don't want a single criminal to make it beyond these walls! Lock down the armory and send word to the Hokage!" Just as he was about to leave the room an explosion in the room next door engulfed him in light.

_******Several Minutes Later******_

Naruto and Sakura were startled out of their sleep from the sound of an explosion in the distance. They sat up and quickly looked outside. "I think that came from where the prison is!" Sakura yelled in shock. "What the hell is going on?" Naruto and Sakura watched in silence as plumes of flame and smoke rose high into the air from a location some miles outside of the village.

"We need to move!" Naruto said as he quickly reached for his clothes.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as Naruto pulled his pants up. He turned to see Sakura sitting up in the bed, clutching the blanket to her bare chest. She was staring at a bundle of white flowers lying intricately at the foot of their bed.

Naruto grabbed the flowers up and inspected them. They were white Chrysanthemums and there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about them. "Where did these come from?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know." She replied. Naruto could see the confusion and apprehension in his wife's eyes. But before he could even begin to consider the meaning of this occurrence, there was another explosion and then another, each one coming closer and closer to the village until one more happened just inside. Naruto could here the growing murmurs and screams as people came out of their homes to see what was happening.

Naruto dropped the flowers on the ground as he could feel the anger rising within him as he glared at the flames. "We can't think about that right now. We're under attack."

_******End of Chapter III******_

**Next Chapter: Darkness in Daylight**


	4. Darkness in Daylight

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: 25BAM50; *GUEST*; MyHikari; reverse read; GodRealm; Duesal10; Narusaki Heaven; *guest(2)* & leafstone.

_**RESPONCES**_

** 25BAM50** - Thank you. Glad it gave you a chuckle.

*Guest* - Thank you

** MyHikari** - Hmm, Why do you keep missing these? Hmm...IDK...leprechans? Yeah...let's go with leprechans. And yes...Kiba is gone. Now you should know that this decision did not come easy. But when I decided to do this story it quickly came to me that I needed to kill someone off fairly early on. And I thought about who it would be and Kiba just...fit. And yes, the K11 kids are growing up. Aren't kids anymore. Lol! It will be touched on from time to time. As for Kabumaru? Shh! I can't tell!

** reverse read** - Answers will come in time. Patience my friend. Glad you liked the humor I placed in it. I wanted to show that despite the fact these guys have grown up, they are still the same characters at their core.

** GodRealm** - Lol! Yes! They are everywhere! I'm friends with many of them it seems! Lol! Yeah, TenTen is one of the under appreciated characters in Naruto. But I like to show her every once and a while. I think she can be interesting if you use your imagination. Glad you liked the Naruto "rape" scene. I enjoyed writing that one.

** Duesal10** - I LOOOOVE CLIFFHANGERS! It keeps people coming back! Lol! Always leave 'em wanting more is the old saying! Let's not mention Kishi right now though. He and I are not seeing eye to eye right now. I personally can't stand what he's doing in the canon. But that's just me. Of course Naruto will grow as Hokage. Growth and learing is what this story, in the end, is really what its all about. As for powerups...no comment. Lol! And thank you for the well wishes Duesal. Seriously much appreciated.

** Narusaku Heaven** - Sorry to hear you lost your account. But glad to see you reading my new story. I hope you continue to enjoy it and that I can live up to your expectations.

** *Guest(2)*** - Thank you so much. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

** leafstone** - Thank you.

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Hear is the latest chapter of Chronicles. I hope you enjoy it. **Please** remember to leave a little **review** when done and expect a new chapter in two weeks. Next week will be a new chapter of my other series "Seven Sins". If you haven't checked that out yet, please do. Peace!

* * *

_******Konoha Maximum Security Prison – 4:48AM******_

Her name is Moriko Hirayama. She is eighteen years old. She is a chunin who graduated from the academy five years ago. She isn't overly skilled or talented. She's never really stood out in any real way. But she loves her village and the people in it. So when she graduated, she jumped at the chance to become a member of the Guard Corp.

Her parents, though proud of her accomplishments, weren't very enthused about her joining this hard core unit created to guard the most dangerous criminals and terrorists in the Land of Fire. They were even more apprehensive when they found out she would be working the night shift. But Mokiro was determined. If this was what she could do for Konoha, then so be it.

This night had started out like all the others. She kissed her parents goodbye and made her way to work. Most of the night was quiet, with very few disturbances outside of a few inmates who were clearly restless and would whistle after her or make lewd gestures. Nothing she'd never heard or seen before. Nothing she couldn't handle.

Then she heard something coming from a nearby cell. It was the sound of someone gagging. She followed the sound to the cell of a new inmate. He was apparently the leader of a small band of thieves claiming to be the remnants of Akatsuki. Mamoru was his name, she recalled. Knowing that she needed to be careful but also realizing he could be in distress, Moriko cautiously opened his cell. "Mamoru?" she called out. "What's wrong?"

She saw him doubled over in the center of the room gagging and coughing. "Hey!" she called as she grabbed his shoulder. "Are you..?" She never finished her sentence. To her amazement, Mamoru turned and stabbed her in the chest with what looked like a knife made of stone with an ornate handle fashioned after a cobra.

"Just fine." Mamoru said as he watched the girl collapse. Mamoro pulled the blade from the girls heart and used a nearby piece of cloth to wipe the blood off. He then grabbed her keys, stepped over the fallen body and walked out of the cell.

Moriko lay frozen on the floor. Her mouth hung open as she tried to scream for help or to warn her comrades. But no voice could escape as she felt warm liquid escaping from her would. She could feel her hands and feet numbing. Her world was darkening.

Her name was Moriko Hirayama. She was a chunin who graduated from the academy five years ago. She wasn't overly skilled or talented. She never really stood out in any real way. But she loved her village and the people in it.

Her parents, though proud of her accomplishments, weren't very enthused about her joining this hard core unit created to guard the most dangerous criminals and terrorists in the Land of Fire. They were even more apprehensive when they found out she would be working the night shift. But Mokiro was determined. If this was what she could do for Konoha, then so be it. This night had started like all the others. Except on this night, Morika Hirayama would not make it back home.

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter IV: Darkness in Daylight

_******Konoha Maximum Security Prison – 5:12AM******_

Toshiro Nara coughed and gagged as he rose out of the rubble. Blood from his head wound streaked his face. His body ached and he was sure that at least a few of his ribs were broken. Looking around at his office that was now annihilated, Toshiro scanned for any signs of the young guard who was with him in the room at the time. He saw the man's hand sticking out a pile of debris and Toshiro painfully pulled himself to his feet. He made his way over and began to move piles of stone, wood and charred books and scrolls away, desperately trying to save his comrade. As he removed the last of it, Toshiro saw the unconscious guard and immediately dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse. _Nothing._ He thought as he sighed heavily.

Toshiro quickly got to his feet and limped to the doorway and looked around. The room next to him had been left an ashen pile of rubble. _How could this have happened?_ He thought. _There were no signs of any of the prisoners making this far. Who could have done this?_

But there was no time to ponder it as several guards came running down the hallway. "Tai-cho!" One of them yelled excitedly. "We heard the explosion! What happened?!"

"It looks like someone planted explosives in the room next to me." Toshiro responded.

"Who could have..?" The ninja began to ask.

"It doesn't matter now." Toshiro replied impatiently as he cut the man off. "Right now we have a bigger crisis on our hands." Toshiro ignored the pain that shot through his body as he hustled down the hallway with his men in tow. "Give me a status report!"

"From what we can tell we have a one hundred percent jailbreak." One of the guards replied. "It appears to be quite a calculated strike. All of the guards that were in the barracks were quickly overwhelmed. We've received no communication from that sector. We believe they may all be dead."

"How is that possible?" Toshiro asked. "The prisoners aren't armed and the chakra inhibitors…"

"Were shut down." the guard quickly stated.

Toshiro stopped in his tracks. "Shut down?! Impossible! They're designed to prevent anyone from turning them off easily. Only someone with the use of their chakra and knowledge of the deactivation jutsu could do that. In other words only a member of the Guard Corps."

"We are looking into the possibility that we have been infiltrated." Another guard said as the group began to walk again. "But right now things are in chaos. We've sealed the barracks. We believe we were able to prevent about twenty percent of the inmates from leaving that area. The others are currently on the other side of the prison fighting with our men."

"Then that's where the hell we're headed!" Toshiro replied.

Just then, the radio on one of the guards screeched to life. "H-Hello? Is…anyone there? Can you read me? Hello?!"

Everyone stopped and looked at the guard as he quickly placed the headpiece in his ear. "Who is this?"

"This…this is Fujiwara…Yori Fujiwara." Yori stuttered.

_That kid?!_ Toshiro wondered. _He's still alive!_

"Fujiwara!" The guard said. "What's your status? Where are you!?"

"I'm…I'm trapped inside the barracks." Yori replied. "I'm hiding out in one of the empty cells. There are…I think about fifteen or so inmates still trapped in here with me."

Toshiro snatched the earpiece our of the guards ear. "Yori, this is Captain Nara! What's the status of the other guards?!"

There was a brief silence on the other end. Finally Yori responded. "Dead, Tai-cho. They're all dead. We were ambushed. One minute the place was quiet then all the cells somehow opened at once and all the inmates flooded out. They…swarmed on us before we could even raise the alarm. Tai-cho, I'm so sorry."

"Never mind that kid! What's you're status?!" Toshiro replied.

"Wounded." Yori answered. "I was stabbed. One of the inmates, the one called Mamoru, had a snake blade made of stone. He must have thought he'd killed me. But I was…able to drag myself here. I stopped most of the bleeding…but…I don't know…"

"Alright kid," Toshiro said. "You did good."

"Tai-cho," Yori continued. "You should know that somehow they were able to remove their inhibitors. And one of them, that guy Shojimaru, is still in here. He's killing everybody. And I think he's planning to bust out. Tai-cho, if he gets out…"

Toshiro took a deep breath. _If he gets out then all hope of holding the inmates back is lost_, he thought. "Alright kid," Toshiro said. "Hold tight. We're coming to get you." Toshiro cut the feed and then addressed his men. "Change of plans! We need to get the barracks under control. Once we've got that area secure we hit the main force. Let's move out!"

A few minutes later Toshiro and his group turned a corner and reached the hallway that lead to the barracks. The entire hallway looked like a bomb had gone off. The walls and floor were scorched and streaked with fresh blood. Several bodies of inmates and guards alike littered the floor. Finally they reached the entrance to the barracks. A large metallic wall, which was used to lock down the area, had been slid down in front of it. There were two guards standing watch. "Tai-cho!" One of them yelled as they ran up to him.

"Status!" Toshiro demanded.

"We were able to lock down the barracks, sealing several inmates inside, sir," the guard answered as he gestured to the large steel wall just ahead of them. "There was lot of noise coming from the other side; mostly banging against the wall and screams. About five minutes ago all screaming stopped. It's been quite so far."

"Alright!" Toshiro responded. "We need to secure the barracks. You two open the gate then stay here and continue to guard the door. Anyone outside of us tries to get past you, kill them. The rest of you come with me."

The two guards quickly ran to either side of the metal wall and grabbed the heavy metal chains and began to pull on them, causing the wall to rise, revealing the barred entrance behind it. "Let's move out!" Toshiro ordered as he fearlessly entered the area.

As they entered the barracks their senses were assaulted by the by the stench of fresh blood and death. The floors and walls were adorned with pools of blood and bodies littered the ground. "My god." One of the ninja mumbled as they looked about the massive expanse.

One ninja stopped and bent down as he came to the body of a guard laying face down in a pool of blood. The ninja turned the body over and gritted his teeth. "Minori." He whispered. "What did those bastards do to you? I'll make them pay!"

"Quiet!" Toshiro commanded in a hushed tone. "Now's not the time for any of that. We need to get this barracks back under control! Now stay sharp!" Toshiro looked around; he could hear the sounds of fighting emanating from the right hallway. "This way." As they walked down the hall Toshiro spoke into his radio. "Yori, you still with me?"

"Yes, tai-cho." Yori answered. "I'm on the first floor on the right. At the third cell."

"Understood." Toshiro replied. "Sit tight. We're on the way." As they continued on the way, more and more bodies littered the floor and the stench of death grew thicker. Finally, they reached the stairs heading down to the first floor and cautiously they made their way down.

"Something's not right." Toshiro said as the reached the bottom. "Where is everyone?" He then spoke into the radio. "Yori, are you there?" No answer. "Yori?" Just then Toshiro looked up and saw several tags attached to both sides of the wall. "Shit! Everyone get d-" But it was too late. The explosives ripped through the hallway surrounding the men in chaos and thunder. Toshiro's world was suddenly turned into white light as his body was tossed about by the sheer force of the explosion.

Toshiro wasn't sure how long he was out as he opened his eyes. He wasn't even sure if he was still alive. But as he looked around at his surroundings; as he saw the rubble and the body parts and dead soulless eyes of his men, he knew he was alive; because even hell couldn't compare to this. He wasn't sure how he'd survived. But he was alive. That's all that mattered. For the second time tonight he'd pulled off the impossible.

Crawling to his feet, his arm broken, his body bruised and bleeding, his clothes torn, Toshiro limped along looking for someplace to rest when he heard someone call out to him. "Yori?" He asked. "Is that you kid?" Toshiro saw a blood stained hand poke out of a darkened cell for a brief second before disappearing back inside.

Toshiro limped as quickly as he could until he entered the room. Sitting just behind the door, holding a sword was Yori. He was pale and blood stained his clothes. "Tai-cho!" He said weakly. "What happened? Where is everyone else?"

"They didn't make it." he said sadly as he slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground. "How about you?"

Yori showed his wound on his side and smiled weakly. It was a bad cut but it looked as though Yori had treated it. "I'll live." Yori answered. "Shojimaru is back in the center of the barracks preparing. I think he's killed any opposition already."

Toshiro grunted as he sat up more. "Then we have no choice. We have to try and stop him. We can't allow Shojimaru to join the others. He's too powerful a shinobi. If he does, our men will surely be overrun. You do realize what that means right?"

Yori looked at the ground for a moment. Toshiro could see from the boys expression that he was working things out in his head and, most importantly, residing himself to the fact that this would likely be a suicide mission. "I…understand, tai-cho," Yori said. And then with a smile that shocked even Toshiro, Yori continued, "This is what is expected of the most hardcore ninja division in all of the Land of Fire, right?"

Toshiro smiled. "C'mon." he said as he willed himself to his feet. He then reached down and pulled Yori up. "Let's make the Guard Corp proud."

A few minutes later, Toshiro and Yori found themselves further into the complex. Peaking around the corner, Toshiro saw the massive man called Shojimaru standing in a large expanse alone. With only one hand he was holding a member of the Guard Corp suspended in the air by his neck. Toshiro silently signaled Yori to follow close behind and they snuck up towards their target. Stealthily, they moved from one column to an overturned table and then some debris as they closed in.

Without saying a word, Shojimaru stared deep into the guards' eyes before snapping his neck with a simple squeeze and then tossing the body aside. _Damn it!_ Toshiro thought as he cursed himself for not getting there in time. He quickly stepped out into the open. "Shojimaru!" He yelled as he quickly made several hand signs.

Shojimaru slowly turned and merely stared indifferently at the enraged captain. He made no effort to attack or defend himself. Suddenly several surrounding shadows extended out from Toshiro and connected with Shojimaru's shadow. Shojimaru found himself unable to move. Once satisfied that he was caught, Toshiro moved in closer. "You have ten seconds to tell me what I want to know Shojimaru! Who orchestrated this break out?! And for what purpose?!"

Shojimaru remained perfectly still and merely glared at the captain. Toshiro gritted his teeth in frustration and with a mental command the shadow began to creep up Shojimaru's body while taking the shape of a hand. It then stopped at his neck as the shadow began to squeeze. "You will tell me what I want to know!" Shojimaru commanded. "Who orchestrated this break out?! It's obvious it's someone on the inside! Someone planted those traps for me and my men and someone was able to release you from the chakra inhibitors! Who is it!?"

Still, even as Toshiro squeezed tighter and tighter, Shojimaru remained stoic. He showed no fear, no hesitation or even concern for his safety. He merely glared at his attacker in silence as the shadow squeezed his windpipe tighter and tighter.

"Damn you Shojimaru, speak!" Toshiro yelled. To his amazement, Shojimaru began to raise his hand despite the Shadow Imitation Technique that should have bound his movements. _He can move?! He's as powerful as I was told if he can move so easily! _

Shojimaru raised his hand and signaled Toshiro to halt. Realizing this, Toshiro released his strangulation technique just enough for the man to speak. "The person you are looking for stands behind you."

"What?" Toshiro asked in confusion. A moment later he felt a sharp pain as he looked down to see the blade of a sword piercing out of his chest. "Wh-Whuh…" Toshiro looked behind him to see Yori with a wide, toothy smile plastered on his face as he held the hilt of the very sword that was now in Toshiro's back.

Toshiro could feel his heart racing; he could hear it beating loudly in his chest. He was surprised how numb he suddenly felt as all strength seemed to leave his body and he fell to his knees. All the while Yori, the young ninja he took under his wing, simply smiled.

"Was all this really necessary?" Shojimaru asked Yori as the young boy pulled the sword out of Toshiro's back.

"I already explained to you that Nara Toshiro is one of the most powerful members of the Nara clan and was a master of the chakra sealing jutsu." Yori answered as he looked at his bloody blade. "Not only that, but his tactical prowess is second in the Nara clan only to that of Shikamaru Nara and of course his father. We couldn't allow him to join up with his men. This worked out perfectly."

"Although I must admit even I am impressed with him." Yori said as he stared at Toshiro. "To think you'd survive not just one, but both of my explosive traps." He laughed. "You're quite the man, tai-cho."

"Nevertheless, I don't like using such dishonorable methods." Shojimaru answered.

"Not my problem." Yori replied as he fearlessly faced the hulking man. "Our mission is what takes precedence. Our master expects flawless completion and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Shojimaru answered. "What do we do about him?"

Yori turned to see Toshiro on his knees; his eyes vacant; his wound gushed blood. Toshiro tried to hear what the two men were saying but he couldn't. All he could hear was his own heart. A heart he could feel getting weaker by the second. His vision was fading. Yet all he could think about was Yori. How could he have been such a fool? This boy, who once looked at him with almost wide eyed innocence and admiration, now looked upon him with a cold and calculating indifference.

The boy raised the sword in the air. "Who?" He asked in answer to Shojimaru's question. With one swing he sliced Toshiro's head clean off his shoulders sending it tumbling to the floor. "All I see are the dead."

"Speaking of which…" Yori said as he looked around at the corpses that lay at their feet. "Is there a reason you killed these men?"

"Traitors to the cause." Shojimaru replied. "This is what Mamoru told me."

"Ah, I see." Yori answered. "I'll have to speak to Mamoru about acting on his own when we meet up." Yori swung his sword to remove the wet blood on it and quickly sheathed it. "Come," he said. "We need to move on to the next phase of the mission."

Shojimaru paused as he watched the boy walk away. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable taking orders from someone as young as you."

Yori stopped at the door and replied, "It wouldn't have come to this if you had completed your mission five years ago."

"That fact can't be denied I suppose." Shojimaru answered as he began to follow. "But are you prepared for what is to come next?"

Yori looked back at Shojimaru with an icy, contemptuous stare. "I don't care who you are. Question my resolve again, and I'll kill you. Konoha will burn with the rising sun and these people will remember the feeling of despair. It is as the master commanded."

_******Konoha Mansion – 5:53AM******_

"What the hell is going on Konohamaru!?" Naruto yelled as he exited the mansion. Sakura followed behind him as several guards pouredout into the courtyard as they met up with Konohamaru and several dozen ninja.

"We're still trying to get a handle on things ourselves." Konahamaru replied. "Neji dispatched us to secure this location and ensure your safety first."

"That's not necessary right now!" Naruto yelled.

"Right!" Konohamaru replied before turning to the men. "What are your orders?"

"Send word to Neji that I want the village locked down." Naruto replied. "I want all movement on the streets restricted to vital personnel only. All citizens are to remain indoors until we figure out what the hell is going on." Naruto then looked behind him. "Sakura!"

"I'm on my way!" Sakura responded as she immediately leapt away. She didn't need Naruto to say the words to know exactly what he wanted her to do.

"You three escort her to the hospital!" Naruto commanded as he looked to several guards. Without a word they took off behind her. "Ok, the rest of you men remain here and secure the location."

"Naruto, I was instructed to keep you here until we could assess the situation." Konohamaru replied. "For all we know you could be the target. It's too dangerous to just have you moving about. Shikamaru and the rest of your cabinet are on their way and…"

"Konohamaru how long have we known each other?" Naruto asked as he glared at the flames in the distance. Konohamaru remained silent. "My village is burning. What makes you think I can sit still and wait for reports?" Now you can either sit here and wait to explain to everyone why I'm not here. Or…you can go with me and help save lives."

"Right." Konoahamru replied. "Let's move out!"

_******Sometime Later******_

"Mamoru seems to be doing an effective job." Yori said as he and Shojimaru leapt across the rooftops. They could see several plumes of smoke in several parts of the village. Flames illuminated the night sky as the screams of citizens could be heard everywhere. Yori smiled. "The village is in chaos! Tonight, Konoha will know despair!"

Shojimaru looked to his right at all of the destruction. He could see the Hokage Mansion rising into the night sky like a beacon. He then looked to the left and saw Konoha's other beacon, the hospital that rose almost as high in the distance. The surrounding area was quiet and dark, in stark contrast to the chaos that took place on the other side of the village. "This is where we part ways it would seem." Shojimaru said as he and Yori came to a stop. "May we both find success in our missions."

"Success is the only option." Yori replied as he leapt away leaving Shojimaru alone.

Shojimaru turned and looked at the blazing flames and listened to the din of screams and yelling rising throughout the village. "Indeed." He said before vanishing.

_******Konoha Medical Center – A short time later******_

"Someone get me some IV for this patient!" Moegi yelled as she checked on the wounds of the woman on the gurney.

"Moegi!" Sakura yelled as she strode through the halls. "What's the situation?"

"Most of the wounded that are coming in are guards from the prison." Moegi responded. "From what I can gather it looks like there was a full prison break. Most of the guards are either dead or dying. Luckily most of the explosions are happening in low populated areas."

"Prison break huh?" Sakura pondered. "Alright, let's get to work. I'm heading to my office to get my instruments. I'll be right back."

As Sakura walked the halls towards her office she didn't notice the stranger who moved in shadow behind her. He smiled as he saw her moving alone. Looking at the blade he had hidden he couldn't help but be excited at what was to come. Tonight, Konoha will know despair.

_******End of Chapter IV******_

**Next Chapter:** _Despair_


	5. Despair

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: GodRealm; Lockhart; 61394; *Guest*; 25BAM50; phillygirl91; *Guest* (2); MyHikari; reverse read; Duesal10 & BigPac09

_**RESPONCES**_

**GodRealm** - Well, you know I like to mix up my development and my action. Just to keep things interesting. And I hope you don't get too mad at me for what's about to come. Lol!

**Lockhart** - thank you. And I end my chapters like that because I love to torture you. Feel the pain! Mwahahaha!

**61394** - Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he/she isn't the fool you think.

***Guest*** - Thanks!

**25BAM50** - Thanks

**phillygirl91** - Thank you. Hope you stick around.

***Guest*** (2) - Glad you liked the addition of my OC Yori. Yep, he is a bastard and you're about to hate him a bit more. Lol!

**MyHikari** - As the Joker once said: People will die. I give you my word! Kyahahahaha! Yep. Yori was a twist I was quite proud of. And he's not all. Lol!

**reverse read** - Thank you. Glad to know you're enjoying it.

**Duesal10** - Hmm, well I'll have to disagree. While you are correct that this was a "set up" chapter there was subtle advancement of the plot. I chose to utilize underlying advancement and a bit of (dear I say) nuance in setting things up instead of just throwing it in the readers face. I also introduced a new player in "Yori the villain". Anyway, I hope this chapter is more to your liking. Let me know what you think. As always, I am open to any thoughts you may have. Thanks.

**BigPac09** - Yeah. I know. But I'm making up for it with this chapter. It's one of my longer ones.

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Ok, so here is my latest chapter. I hope you like it. Sorry for it being a day late. (I got about 20 PM's pretty much all saying: WTF!? Where's the new chapter!? Die Ramen! Lol!) It's all love though. I decided on a last minute re-write while I was doing my last proof read of the chapter. It caused a delay. But here it is! **Please** enjoy and remember to leave a little (or big) **review** when done. Thanks!

P.S. - Check out my other ongoing (bi-weekly) Naruto series, Seven Sins. A new chapter next week! Thanks!

* * *

_******Konoha – Dawn******_

"My god!" Tenzen whispered as he stared in horror at the towers of smoke and flame rising in the air on the far side of the village while he stood outside a small, nondescript shrine. He'd hoped that Konoha had seen the last of such days. He watched these flames as they rose menacingly in the sky just as the sun peaked over the horizon, Tenzen recalled the devastation left by the second, third and fourth Great Shinobi Wars and prayed that this was not a harbinger of what was to come. For Tenzen, now in his late seventies, did not know if he had the stomach to withstand another catastrophe to his home.

When he was young, Tenzen made a decision to join the Buddhist clergy. At the time, many of those who did, only did so in an effort to avoid battle and war as ninja. But Tenzen did it in an effort to help his fellow man in the best way he believed possible: through prayer and charity. It was he that stood ready to bring food and provide clothes and warm beds to the families left destitute and destroyed after every conflict. It was he who prayed over the hundreds of dead who would be brought back for burial. It was he who appealed to have new facilities built for the children left orphaned. During every famine or drought; every war or raid, he was there. But Tenzen was growing old. And most of all, weary.

"Master Tenzen." another young priest said as he poked his head out of the door of the old shrine. "We really should return inside."

"Dark times are coming to Konoha." The old priest said, almost to himself. "Dark times indeed."

"Master." The young cleric said as he stepped further out the door. "Preparations are almost over." The man gasped as he saw the raging fires in the distance. It was both terrifying, humbling and awe inspiring. Pulling himself away from the sight he looked to the old priest. "It's not safe out here master. We really must go back inside."

Tenzen looked back at the priest. "Yes of course." He said before he shuffled back inside. Standing in the shadows, obscured by the trees, stood a menacing figure that watched as the old man close the temple door behind him. The man cursed himself for his bad luck and for what he knew would have to be done.

**Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh**

**Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze**

**Chapter V: Despair**

"Come on, follow me!" The middle aged man yelled as he led his wife and eight year old son through the burning embers of what was once their home. In his arms he held his three year old daughter as he frantically fought to lead his family to safety.

"Look out!" His wife yelled as she yanked him back just in time to avoid a burning beam that collapsed taking a portion of the ceiling with it. The man was grateful for her assistance but dread began to grow within him as he realized that the path to the exit was now cut off. "Where to now?" His wife asked pleadingly as she could see the fear growing in his eyes.

Just then he saw his salvation in the form of a window nearby. "Come!" He yelled as he grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her along. As soon as he reached the window he handed the baby to her and began to help her through the window when he heard his son's voice calling for him. Looking back, he was horrified to find that his son had somehow become separated from them.

"Akahiko!" The man's wife screamed as she instinctively tried to climb back through the window to go to him.

"No!" The father said. "I'll get him. You get to safety!" The man immediately turned and tried to make his way through the flames as an explosion knocked him back and crashing into a nearby wall. Dazed, the man stumbled to his feet. He could feel the heat rising and the smoke growing thicker as he found it hard to breath. His vision was blurring as he saw his panicked son screaming for help. But now there was a wall of flames between them. Panic began to grip the man's heart as he knew his only chance was to leap through the fire to his son with no guarantee he'd survive the attempt and no guarantee that he and his son would find a way out. But if his son were to die here, he would not do so alone.

Just as he was about to move, he felt someone grab him by the back of his collar. Looking back all he could see through the smoke was a pale arm stretched through the window. And a second later he found himself forcefully yanked through the window into the crisp early morning air.

Akahiko began to cough and fell to his knees as the smoke began to overwhelm him. His eyes burned from the heat making almost impossible to see. _This is it! _He thought as he felt the futility of his impending death. Suddenly, as if in response to his silent plea for help, he saw several large birds made of ink fly in and slam into the fire that surrounded him, extinguishing it.

Then a pale ninja appeared next to him. "My name is Sai. Everything's going to be alright." He said with a reassuring smile as he picked the boy up. Before they could escape, Sai heard a loud whistle coming from nearby and realized it was coming from the nearby kitchen. _Shit! _Sai thought. _That sounds like the gas main under the floor! It's about to..!_ Before Sai could even move, an explosion ripped though the kitchen sending a wall of flame hurtling towards him and the boy.

Sai quickly hugged the boy and put his back to the flames to shield him when Hinata appeared next to them. "Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven!" Hinata immediately began to spin at incredible speeds while releasing chakra, creating a dome that deflected the explosion of fire and protected everyone. A moment later she stopped and the pair took the boy and leapt out of the house, landing in the middle of the street where his grateful parents gathered him up and hugged him. There were several other people gathered in the streets as well.

"Sai, we need to keep moving!" Hinata said as she looked at the other homes that were burning. "We need to make sure that there aren't any civilians inside those homes."

"It's already taken care of!" Shino yelled as he landed next to the pair. "My father and I cleared the people out of the other homes! We should look to get these people to the safe zone."

"That might prove problematic." Sai said as he looked behind them and saw a dozen armed inmates standing the middle of the street.

"Damn! When did they show up?!" Hinata said as she turned to face them. Looking around she saw the terrified faces of the citizens as they huddled together. _We have to get these people out of here! But we can't fight and protect them all at the same time. _

"You go Hinata!" Sai yelled as the group of men charged. "Shino and I will hold them off! Get those people out of here!"

"No way!" Hinata said as she stood her ground. "We fight together!" She then yelled at the people behind her. "Run! We'll buy you time!" Just as the inmates were about to close in, two objects crashed into the group from the sky, kicking up a large plume of smoke due to the impact.

"What the hell was that?!" Shino yelled as he blocked his eyes from the dust. "Hinata, see anything?"

Hinata smiled as she activated her Byakugan and caught a glimpse of who was inside the smoke. "Nothing to worry about guys." She replied.

As the smoke cleared Sai and Shino saw Naruto and Konohamaru in the center of the group of unconscious inmates. Naruto held the body of one of them by the collar. "That's eighteen more Konohamaru!" He yelled as he dropped the unconscious man. "Sai, Hinata, Shino, are you guys alright?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle, Naruto-kun." Hinata replied.

"Good." Naruto answered. "Get those people to the safe zone to the north. Choza and Choji are overseeing security. Konohamaru, leave a marker here so that Neji and his men can gather these guys up."

"Right." Konohamaru answered.

"What about the fires?" Sai asked. "They're starting to spread faster than we can put them out!"

Naruto looked at the flames that threatened to engulf this entire block. He took a deep breath and then bit his thumb and wiped a bit of blood into the palm of his left hand. He quickly slammed his hand to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

In a massive plume of white smoke, appeared a large, blue-vested, yellow toad with orange markings around his eyes and mouth. "Hello Naruto-kuuuun!" The toad said with a wave. He then looked at the flames. "Ohh! What pretty lights!"

"Hello Gamatatsu!" Naruto responded. "I need you to use your water gun to get rid of the fire."

"Ok!" Gamatatsu answered before taking a deep breath and spitting a large jet stream off water out above the buildings, dousing the flames.

"Thanks Gamatatsu!" Naruto replied when the toad was done. "I'll need you to go around the village and put out all the other fires too, okay. Do this and I'll get you a lot of delicious snacks!"

"Yay!" Gamatatsu yelled as he bounced up and down causing the ground to quake. He quickly leapt off above the buildings and out of sight.

"You guys get these people to that safe zone!" Naruto yelled. "Konohamaru, you're with me." The two immediately leapt up onto a nearby roof and took off towards the next target.

_******Meanwhile******_

Sakura hastily gathered her medical gear as she prepared to return to main floor. The room was lit by a lone lamp on her desk as she quickly went about her business while at the same trying to go over in her head the information she'd been able to gather.

As she continued, the door behind her creaked open pulling her from her thoughts. "Hello?" She asked as she looked back. "Anyone there? Moegi?" Sakura took a step away from her desk and looked around the darkened room. Nothing. She shrugged and returned to her desk never noticing the sharp eyes, full of malice that stared at her from a darkened corner of the room.

_******Meanwhile******_

"Master Tenzen." The young priest called as he and the five other priests hurried about to complete their important task. "We're almost ready."

"Good." Tenzen said and a satisfied smile. "We won't have much time. Once we're done we'll need to…" Before Tenzen could complete his sentence, a large figure dropped to the ground in front of him from the mezzanine high above. "You!" The old man yelled in surprise as he immediately recognized the stranger.

"Going somewhere Tenzen?" The fearsome person asked.

The look of astonishment quickly faded from the old man's face as he glared at the unexpected visitor. "So…you're the one?" He asked. "I tried my best to figure out who it was. I must admit I never would have dreamed that it would be you."

"Master!" The priests yelled in alarm as they rushed to Tenzen's aid. They immediately jumped into a defensive stance between Tenzen and the intruder.

"You seem to be quite busy here Tenzen." The intruder remarked as he looked about the room. "What could you possibly be up to?"

"Why ask questions when you already know the answer?" Tenzen replied with a weary smile. "I honestly thought I had more time."

"You've betrayed our order."

"I betrayed nothing!" The old man yelled angrily. "It's time we move in a new direction. This was inevitable."

"You're a fool." The intruder replied as he shook his head disapprovingly.

"The only fool here is you, if you think this will change anything." Tenzen answered. "The wheels are already set in motion. My death will stop nothing."

The intruder suddenly took a step into the light, revealing his massive, muscular frame, long dark hair and eyes as black as coal. "Forgive me, but I'm going to have to disagree with that."

_******Meanwhile******_

Sakura closed the drawer to her desk and placed the contents she removed in her pouch. "There." she said as she was now ready to move out. As she was about to make her way to the door she heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking coming from within her office. "Hello?" Still there was no answer.

Sakura reached for a kunai that was sitting on a nearby counter top and had it at the ready as she cautiously crept over to where she heard the noise. She reached a nearby countertop and crouched down to better attack or defend herself against any unexpected attack. Taking a deep breath, she quickly darted out into the open. Nothing. Looking around she saw the origin of the noise. There was a small glass beaker on the center of the ground.

Cautiously, she moved towards it and picked it up. It was cracked at the base. Again she looked around for any hint of movement. Once again she saw nothing. Just as she placed the beaker back on the counter Sakura felt something strike her bare left arm. "What the..?" She said as she saw a small sealing scroll stuck to her arm.

Almost immediately a figure stepped out of the shadows and made several hand signs before yelling, "Sealing Jutsu: All Chakra Suppressing Seal!" Sakura screamed as what she could only describe as a jolt of electricity swept through her body. Almost instantly she was hit with a wave of fatigue that threatened to render her unconscious.

Sakura fell limply to the floor as she swept all the contents on the counter to the ground. Glass and scrolls crashed all around her as she fell to her knees. "Who?" She said weakly. To her surprise, as her attacker emerged from the darkness, she saw a baby-faced, young ninja with brown hair and eyes. He wore the standard uniform of a Konoha ninja, complete with headband with the Konoha insignia etched in the metal. _He barely looks fifteen!_ She thought as she looked at him.

Without saying a word, the ninja drew a kitana and closed in on Sakura with the blade raised. _Shit!_ She thought as she willed herself to her feet and blocked the attack with the kunai in her hand. Using her left hand to block the blade that was bearing down on her, she used her right hand to strike the man in his chest. But to her surprise, her attack had no affect. _My…my chakra!_ She thought as she came to a terrifying realization. _It really is sealed!_

The ninja smiled and then struck her in the chin with the back of his hand sending her tumbling over the countertop to the other side, knocking all of the items on the counter crashing to the ground. Sakura was face down on the ground as she struggled to push herself up. She had a bruise on her cheek and was bleeding from her lip.

Sakura could hear her attacker laughing and as she looked up she saw him standing on the counter above her. _Move! I have to move!_ She commanded her body as she gripped her kunai tight. The ninja held his sword with the blade facing down and leapt down, intent on impaling it into her body.

Sakura rolled out of the way just in time and staggered to her feet. Her body felt heavy, as though every muscle in her body was weighed down. It was like trying to fight and dodge while under water. The ninja immediately got to his feet and closed in, slashing away at Sakura who frantically tried to block or dodge every blow.

Sakura was struck in the arm and then again in her thigh. As the ninja closed in again, she raised her kunai to block but found she had very little strength in her arms and the kunai was easily knocked out of her hand. The ninja immediately swung his sword at Sakura's stomach. Reacting on pure instinct, Sakura spun out of the way, avoiding the deadly blow.

But Sakura wasn't fast enough to avoid the punch to the face the ninja threw the moment his sword missed. She staggered back into her desk as she absorbed the blow. Using the desk to keep on her feet she frantically wracked her brain to find a way out of this. She looked at the door on the far side of the room. She'd never make it if she ran in her condition. The window? Too high up. She'd never survive the fall without the chakra to reinforce her muscles and bones.

"You know, it's funny." the ninja said. "Under normal circumstances I'd never be able to defeat you. It must be hard to try and avoid my attacks without the chakra necessary to fuel your movements."

_He's right!_ She thought as she watched helplessly as the ninja closed in. _With my chakra sealed I'm a sitting duck._ Sakura reached for the seal hoping to remove it. As her fingers grew close the seal released a surge of electricity, sending a jolt of pain through her body so intense she fell to her knees as she screamed.

The ninja laughed as he removed the vest that covered his chest. "Now you of all people should know how impossible it is to remove that seal!" He then turned the vest so she could see the insignia on the back. "That seal is the pride of the Guard Corps! And it was something I made sure to master! You'll never break it!"

_That wasn't exactly accurate._ Sakura thought as she watched her attacker. The seal could be broken if you could pour enough of your chakra into it and overwhelm it. It was like pouring more water into a balloon. Eventually it would reach its limit. The problem is you would need a massive amount of chakra to do something like that. It would take too long for her to gather sufficient chakra to do that. It was time she didn't have.

Sakura tried to stand up straight but felt another shooting pain in her stomach that caused her to collapse back into the table. _What is this pain!?_ She wondered.

"Now, my lady Sakura," The ninja said mockingly. "My one true master has ordered that you die. And I, Yori, as his faithful servant, will do just that." Before Yori could attack he was kicked in the side of the head so hard he was knocked over a table and to the ground.

"Sensei!"

Sakura looked up to see a familiar face. "O-Ozuru?!" She stammered.

"I was coming to check on you, when I heard a commotion, sensei!" Ozuru said as he stood with his back to her, ready to defend her. "I'm not sure who you are, but if you plan to kill Lady Sakura you must first kill me."

Yori laughed as he rose to his feet. He then looked to Ozuru and said, "That won't be a problem."

_******Meanwhile******_

"Iruka get that fire out!" Shikamaru yelled as he oversaw all of the ninja in the area. "Get those civilians out of there! Everyone maintain the perimeter!" Less than an hour ago, Shikamaru was sound asleep with Temari in his bed. Now, he felt as though he'd been plunged into a middle of war zone on the streets of his village. Shikamaru put his mind on overdrive as he quickly analyzed every movement, every possibility and probability as he barked orders to his men.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled as he and Konohamaru leapt down to the ground. They were a welcome sight to the weary military general.

"Hey Naruto!" Shikamaru replied. "Aren't you supposed to be at the mansion?" Shikamaru gave Konohamaru a disapproving glare.

"Let's not worry about that!" Naruto said. "What's the situation here?"

"We've got this area under control!" Shikamru replied. "It looks like the entire prison population escaped somehow. We're still trying to get a handle on that. Most of the prisoners weren't much of a problem as they all still had their seals on them. But a particular group had removed them somehow."

"So do we have any idea what their goal is?" Naruto asked.

"Not yet." Shikamru answered. "We only captured a few from that group. Most of them have been able to elude us and we haven't received a positive match for their leader yet. It's possible they've already fled the area. All the others we've captured claimed that their orders were simply to cause destruction. Using explosive tags, they set off bombs in random areas of the village. My father is leading a group of ANBU to escort the prisoners we've captured already back the prison. Once they arrive they'll handle security until we can stabilize the situation." As Shikamaru continued to speak he saw an old man trapped within the flames of a burning building. "Shit! Hey old man!"

"Don't worry Shikamaru, I got him!" Iruka yelled as he leapt through the blown out window. He landed next to the old man, scooped him up into his arms and leapt back out into the street.

"Thank you, young man." The feeble old man replied weakly. "I don't think I would have made it without your assistance."

"No worries!" Iruka replied with a smile. "I'm just happy that you called me a young man!"

Looking around to ensure all the fires were out, Naruto took a deep breath. "Alright, it looks like this area is secure. We should all keep moving on."

"You all go on!" Iruka responded. "I'll hang back with a few guards and make a quick run through of the area."

Naruto nodded. "Right, Shikamaru I need you with me. I want a full report of everything we know so far while we're moving." Naruto, Shikamaru, Konohamaru and the other shinobi immediately took to the area to head to the next location.

"Alright." Iruka yelled to the remaining ninja. "Spread out and check the area for any more possible survivors. Losing even one life is unacceptable."

Just as Iruka was about to move out he felt someone tap him lightly on the shoulder. It was the old man who stood smiling as he leaned on his cane. "I just wanted to thank you again for your efforts young man."

Iruka smiled and nodded. "Thank you, but this my job to ensure the safety of Konoha's citizens. Now, please try to make your way to the center of town. There is a safe zone set up there for the citizens."

As Iruka turned his back he didn't notice that the old man's eyes had changed from dark brown to amber with serpentine pupils. "Thank you young man." The man said as his impossibly long tongue snaked out of his mouth and wiped his cheek. "You have no idea how much help you've been."

_******Meanwhile******_

"O-Ozuru!" Sakura replied. "You need to stand down. You're still a genin. You can't face someone with that skill."

"Sorry but I can't do that sensei." Ozuru replied as he placed his right hand up and it began to glow with a faded blue aura.

"Chakra Scalpel Technique?" Yori stated as he quickly analyzed his new opponent. "Alright then." Yori leapt into the air towards Ozuru.

_No!_ Sakura thought as she saw Ozuru move it. _Ozuru has only just learned the Chakra Scalpel. And he hasn't mastered it to the point to cut flesh or bone yet! What is he doing?!_

Ozuru led with his glowing right hand, intent of piercing his target. "Are you kidding me?!" Yori yelled as he quickly spun out of the way. But that was just what Ozuru wanted. As Yori spun, Ozuru drew a tanto he had hidden in his clothes and slashed the boy across the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Yori fell back to one knee as he held his sword up to defend himself. His left hand clutched at the wound on his chest. He cursed himself for removing his vest. It would have dulled the attack. The wound was deep but nothing he couldn't fight through. "I'll never forgive anyone who tries to harm my sensei!" Ozuru yelled as he held his blood stained weapon at the ready. Without hesitation, Ozuru moved in with the intent on finishing the fight. He knew he needed to press his advantage now. The longer the fight went on, the longer his lack of skill would become a hindrance.

Realizing his disadvantage, Yori quickly dropped his sword, made several hand signs and yelled, "Fire Release: Breath of the Dragon Jutsu!" Yori took a deep breath and breathed a large steady blast of flame from his mouth blasting Ozuru in the face and knocking him back. "Ozuru!" Sakura yelled as she struggled to stand up straight. Blinded and burnt, Ozuru staggered back.

Yori picked up his weapon and immediately closed in and before Sakura's eyes, he buried his sword deep into Ozuru's stomach, cutting straight through. Ozuru gasped as he felt the warm steel slide through him. He couldn't speak, he could barely breath. Yori smiled sickeningly as he watched the light fade from his victims' eyes. He pulled the sword out and let the body fall with an echoing thud. "Now where were we?" He asked as he looked to Sakura.

Sakura gritted her teeth as she could feel a seething rage boil to the surface. Tears welled in her eyes as the scene of Ozuru's sacrifice replayed in her mind. Sakura raised both her hands and made the tiger hand seal. _Seal Release!_ She silently commanded. Suddenly her body began to tense and the purple diamond tattoo over her heart opened a large pattern covered her heart, left shoulder and arm before fading away. Sakura screamed as her eyes flew open and she suddenly leapt to her feet and attacked a shocked Yori.

"Shannaro!" She yelled as she threw a punch towards Yori who threw himself out of the way. Sakura's attack struck one of her tables behind Yori, shattering it. Sakura turned to face her attacker who remained crouched with his blade in front of him at the ready. _Damn it!_ She thought as she looked at her bruised right hand. _Even with Creation Rebirth I can only muster enough chakra to do this. My speed and strength are still limited. What's even worse is I can feel myself already weakening. That damned chakra seal is eating away at the chakra I just unleashed. Which means I need to finish this quickly!_

Yori began to chuckle and then burst into raucous laughter. "This is so much fun!" He yelled. "I can't believe I get to go at it with the famed Namikaze Sakura!" Yori rose to his feet and readied his blade. "Let's see what you got!" Sakura sprinted at Yori and threw a punch at his face that he was just able to dodge. _Shit!_ He thought. _The added chakra she received from releasing her seal has increased her ability enough to fight back. Though she's clearly still not as strong as she normally is I still can't let her hit me._

As Yori sidestepped her punch he countered with his blade, slicing Sakura in her side. With a mental command, Sakura's wound instantly began to heal as she continued to fight. Yori tried to follow his counter with another swing at her back but she ducked under the attack and while still crouched, tried to punch him in the chest. Again, Yori was able to step back just out of her range but Sakura quickly spun on her hand and kicked him with a low round house that he was able to block with his left arm.

Yori grunted in pain as his body slid back across the ground from the force of Sakura's attack. "Shit!" He yelled as his left arm fell limply to the side. Sakura's speed, though limited, was still impressive and when she threw that kick he knew he had no chance of dodging it. So he instead sacrificed his left arm to block it. Better to let her shatter that than his skull, he decided.

Sakura's breathing was growing more and more labored with every passing moment. She could feel her chakra fading under the effect of the seal stuck to her arm. Time was running and out and soon she'd be a sitting duck again. Sakura stood up and readied herself for another attack when she felt a spasm of pain in her stomach that buckled her legs and caused her to fall to her knees. "What?!" She yelled in confusion.

Using the unexpected opening, Yori lunged at her with his sword raised. Sakura instinctively rolled out of the way as the tip of the sword bore down and sliced into the ground. Yori immediately swung it up towards, digging chunks of the ground out with it as he did. The blade cut deep into Sakura's leg as she desperately tried to get out of the way. Her chakra was fading fast and avoiding these attacks seemed to be all she could do now. And soon, even that would be impossible. Not to mention she had to get to Ozuru. She needed to see if he was still alive and if he was then he'd need immediate medical attention.

Yori panted as he walked over to a nearby wall and with one thrust, he slammed his dislocated left arm into the wall. He clenched his teeth and fought to keep himself from screaming out. A moment later he could feel blood flowing though is numbed fingertips. Slowly he clenched his hand and smiled as he could once again use his arm. _I'm lucky that she's not at full strength. _He thought.

With a wicked smile, Yori then turned to face the struggling Sakura. "Die!" He yelled as he sprinted towards her. Yori swung the blade several times and each time Sakura would duck, sidestep or simply lean out of the way. But with each attack, Yori could see his attacks getting closer and closer. One attack cut away several strands of her hair. Another sliced her cheek. _Closer!_ He thought. _Just a little more!_

_I have to counter attack!_ Sakura thought_. I can't keep this up._ Desperate, Sakura suddenly stepped forward, giving Yori an open shot. Yori lunged his blade forward, aimed at her heart. Sakura quickly side stepped the blow causing his blade to strike the ground and to Yori's surprise, she stepped on the tip of the blade, keeping him from pulling it back.

Sakura immediately threw two punches at a surprised Yori who immediately ducked both blows and then let go of his sword and jumped out of range. _Shit!_ He thought in frustration. He was angry with himself for being forced to abandon his weapon. _Unacceptable! This bitch!_

Realizing he was loosing control of himself and focus, Yori took a deep breath to calm himself. "I have to admit you're a bigger challenge than I thought you'd be my lady." Yori said with a smile. He then looked at his sword behind her. "I'm going to need that back."

Yori sprinted at Sakura as she threw a punch at his face. He quickly ducked under the blow and then flipped up and over her. Sakura tried to hit him with a backwards roundhouse kick as he landed but Yori crouched under the attack. Sakura countered with another kick but Yori stepped back out of range and grabbed his sword and pulled it free from the ground. He then swung the blade several times at Sakura but she was able to dodge and sidestep each blow. Desperate to get out of the range of his attacks, Sakura reached out and grabbed a nearby stool and threw it at Yori who instinctively sliced it in half before it could reach him.

Sakura used that brief moment to leap back out of range and land in front of the fallen Ozuru. She immediately fell to one knee while keeping her back to her pupil and her eyes on her enemy. She then reached back and put two fingers on Ozuru's neck feeling for a pulse. _He's alive!_ She thought as she felt the weak pulse. _But his pulse is too weak and he's loosing too much blood. He's probably close to going into shock. _Sakura's mind immediately went into overdrive as she thought of how to stabilize him long enough to get him downstairs. _I need to take this kid out and quick. I'm almost out of chakra. Whatever I do next will most likely be my last attack. I'll have to save the rest of chakra to heal Ozuru._

Yori laughed. "So you did that just so you could check on that guy, huh? That's pretty damned good Lady Sakura!"

"You're awfully cocky for a little brat." Sakura replied with a smirk. "What's the matter? Daddy spank you too much as a kid? Or not enough? Or maybe…daddy wasn't there at all?" Yori winced. She'd struck a nerve. "Aw! No dad huh? How about a mom?' Again he flinched slightly. While Yori wasn't looking Sakura moved her hand from Ozuru's neck to the shards of broken glass on the floor behind her. She felt a sharp pain in her hand as she gathered some of the glass up and grasped it tightly. Blood dripped from between her fingers. "An orphan huh? What's the matter? Parents not want a little punk like you? Or are they just dead?"

"You fucking bitch!" Yori raised his blade and moved in once more as he screamed. He had a wild, unhinged look in his eyes as he ran towards her but as he got closer Sakura threw the glass shards with all her might at Yori's face. Yori screamed as the bits of glass sliced his face, neck and hands. Sakura used that opening to leap to her feet and strike Yori with a roundhouse to the chin. Surprisingly Yori slid back across the floor from the blow but he did not fall.

"Damn!" Sakura yelled in frustration. Suddenly, she felt a massive surge of electricity emanate from the seal and numb her body. And once more she felt a stinging pain in her stomach that buckled her legs and dropped her to her knees.

Yori smiled as he fought through the pain. "Heh! Heh!" He looked up at the ceiling as he wiped the blood from his face. Several deep cuts covered his face, neck and hands and there was deep blue bruise on his face from where Sakura kicked him. "I must be truly blessed. Looks like that extra chakra you had finally disappeared just in time."

_Get up! Get up!_ Sakura told herself as she tried to will herself to her feet. Her legs and arms trembled as she frantically tried to stand. But her body would not obey. She had no strength left.

Yori, despite his bravado, was exhausted. He slowly trudged towards her. The sound of the tip of his sword dragging across the floor echoed behind him. "I have other things I need to do, my lady." He said as he walked up to Sakura. Yori raised his blade and grasped it tightly with both hands.

Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as her eyes we fixated on the steel blade that swiftly descended upon her. _Naruto!_ She thought as she could sense her pending death. Sakura shut her eyes as she anticipated the final blow when Ozuru appeared between her and the blade. He covered her as Yori's sword sliced him across the back. Ozuru gritted his teeth to absorb the pain and kicked back, striking Yori in the chest and knocking him back.

Yori hit the ground and immediately rolled back on onto his feet. "What the hell!?" He yelled in surprise as he saw Ozuru who turned to face him. He was bloody, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. His legs trembled as he fought to stay on his feet. But despite it all, Ozuru was smiling. "How the hell are you still alive?!" Yori yelled.

Sakura groaned as she looked at Ozuru's back in disbelief. "Ozuru? How?" She asked.

"I stabbed you clean through." Yori said. "You should be dead! You shouldn't be able to even stand!"

With a wide smirk Ozuru replied. "Are you kidding? When you stabbed me I adjusted my body so that you would miss all of vital organs."

"Eh! You..?" Yori answered in shock.

"The pain and loss of blood caused me to pass out there for a second." Ozuru continued. "But once I woke up I started to heal myself. It's nothing for Lady Sakura-sensei's number one pupil."

"Ozuru." Sakura said. "I'm so glad to see you're safe. But…but please...you need to run. Get help!"

"Sorry sensei, but I can't do that." Ozuru answered. "You and I both know you'll be dead before I can bring help back. I can't leave you're side!"

"Ozuru, you're no match for him! Just go!" Sakura pleaded.

"We'll see about that!" Ozuru yelled as he sprinted towards Yori who readied his blade. Before he could close in, Ozuru threw smoke bombs at Yori's feet.

"Damn it!" Yori yelled as the smoke obscured his vision. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm. Looking down he saw a needle protruding from his shoulder. He immediately pulled it free. "Where are you?!" He yelled as he frantically swung his sword. Then another needle struck him in the thigh and then the back. Yori grunted as he pulled them free. It was then he could feel his vision blurring and he began to stagger about.

"Too bad for you." Ozuru said as he hid in the smoke. "Those needles are laced with a powerful sedative. You'll be out cold in minutes!"

Ozuru looked around as the smoke enveloped him. He could feel himself succumbing to the affects of the poison. He swung his sword hoping to strike Ozuru but nothing. He could see Ozuru's shadow moving about but the affects of the poison slowed him. "Oh really?" He asked. "Well…too bad for you…I was trained in the deepest darkest caverns by ROOT from the time I was five." Again he sliced through the smoke only to strike air. "Learning to fight while disoriented or poisoned is standard training."

"They would do that to a child? How sad." Ozuru remarked as he watched Yori staggering about, swinging his sword wildly. _I have him now._ He thought as he readied four more needles. He then waited until Yori's back was facing him and moved in.

"Not only that…" Yori continued. "…but because we trained in that darkness, I learned how to fight when you can't see your target." Yori suddenly jabbed his sword back and smiled as he felt it connect and slip through a solid object. Looking back he saw the surprised face of Ozuru. "And you make way to much noise when you move."

The needles Ozuru held slipped out of his fingers as he fell to his knees. The smoke cleared away allowing Sakura to see her pupil. "Ozuru!" She yelled as she was finally able to will herself to her feet. Slowly she began to walk towards them. Slowly her walk grew to a run as she desperately tried to get to him. "Ozuru!"

"This time I'll finish you for sure!" Yori yelled as he pulled his blade out of Ozuru's chest and raised it up above his head.

"No!" Sakura screamed as she lunged towards them. Despite the fatigue and heaviness that consumed her, Sakura leapt towards Yori with all her might desperate to ensure the safety of her precious student. Even if it cost her own life, Sakura would not remain helpless while Ozuru died before her eyes.

Yori smiled to himself and quickly made a hand sign as he saw Sakura moving towards him. _The second she gets close enough I'll burn her to death_, he thought.

_******Meanwhile******_

Guy punched one attacking prisoner in the face and kicked another, knocking them both out. "Is that the last one?" He yelled.

"Looks like it!" Inoichi replied as he let go of the neck of one of the escapees. "Looks like all the fires in the village are out." He said as he looked around.

"Inoichi!"

Inoichi looked around to see Naruto, Shikamaru, Konohamaru and contingent of ninja arrive. "How are things here?" Naruto asked.

"We've got this area under control." Guy said.

"Then that should be it!" Konohamaru replied.

"I don't think so." Inoichi answered.

"What's going on?" Shikamaru asked.

"We still haven't located the all the members of the Akatsuki faction that was brought in recently." Inoichi replied. "Not to mention their leader as well."

"Do you think they used this distraction to sneak out of the village?" Konohamaru asked.

"It's possible." Shikamaru answered as he rubbed his goatee. "But something just doesn't feel right about all this. They could have done that without causing this ruckus. There's something we're just not seeing."

"We can worry about their objective later." Naruto said as he began to concentrate while he stood perfectly still with his eyes closed. "Right now we need to locate them." A moment later Naruto opened his eyes. The irises were yellow with horizontal pupils and redish-orange pigmentation around them. Naruto immediately began to sense for any hostile chakra. Suddenly he felt it. A very hostile chakra. His eyes grew wide as he slowly turned back and looked at the hospital in the distance. An instant later, he vanished.

_******Meanwhile******_

As Sakura closed in on Yori, she realized her mistake as he quickly turned to face her. "Fire Release: Breath of the Dragon Jutsu!" Just as the flame was about to release from his mouth, Naruto appeared out of thin air and used one hand to grab Sakura out of the air and pull her to him. Simultaneously he used his other hand push Yori's chin moving his face to the left, causing the flames to fire out a nearby window where it safely died away.

Once the flame died out, Yori looked at Naruto in shock as the Hokage scowled at him. He then saw a light emanating from below and as he looked down he saw an orb of swirling energy in Naruto's hand. "Rasengan!" Naruto yelled as he slammed the orb into Yori's chest.

Yori screamed in pain as his body was hurled back through a nearby wall into another room. A moment later he lay in a pile of rubble. His body was broken and his mission…had failed.

_******End of Chapter V******_


	6. Meeting of the Sages

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: happy everyday life; 61394; GodRealm; Guest; Duesal10; Lionheart91; 25BAM50; Maria; bigpac09; MyHikari; Killer of the Cookies.

_**RESPONCES**_

**happy everyday life** - Maybe it was him. Maybe it wasn't. The answer lies within this chapter.

**61394** - Thanks. And Orochimaru isn't back. This is Kabumaru.

**Godrealm** - Thank you for your forgivness GodRealm and I'm glad you liked the chapter.

**Guest** - Thank you. And so you know this is a bi-weekly fanfic.

**Duesal10** - Actually there was a regrouping point. Naruto referenced it a couple times though it was never shown. I'm actually glad that you hated Yori. It was my intention to make him a character that readers would dislike.

**Lionheart91** - Thank you so much LH91. I'm glad you liked Sakura's fight. It was important to me to show how good a shinobi she could be if given the chance.

**25BAM50** - Thank you.

**Maria** - Ahh! There we go. I much prefer to call you Maria than "guest". Lol! No worries if you don't write fanfics. I actually don't really read them. Yeah, I know that's kind of weird but I have my reasons. Thank you for enjoying my work Maria. I truly do appreciate it. As for Ozuru, I can't tell you. His fate will be shown in this chapter. Lol!

**bigpac09** - Lol! Yes he is.

**MyHikari** - Unfortunately, Sakura's chakra had been almost completely sealed from the beginning. It's a testament to her ability that she was able to hold her own as long as she did. Yes, despite his young age and inexperience, Ozuru did a fine job. He should be proud. I did consider letting Ozuru and Sakura come up with a way to win but considering my aim was show how powerless they were at that moment I think it would have gone against what I was trying to do. Besides, even this will have implications down the road. You'll see.

**Killer of thy Cookies** - Holy crap this review is long. Lol! Love it! Now let's answer your points:

1. YES! I know my grammar and spelling was a bit...rough...at first. TBH, I'm well aware I need to go back and fix it but as you so eloquently stated: "It's a pain." Lol! TBH, that's because I really didn't have much of a plan for this series at the time. It was just a whim that I began writing it. Well, that and a friend's insistence that is.

2. Another failing of not having someone proof read for me. That and proof reading late at night. I'm aware that I also make this mistake at times. Usually during action sequences. I really look to my reviewers to help with pointing those out so I can go back and fix the ones I fail to catch. As for the one you highlighted I fixed it. Thanks.

3. Often times I try to avoid them altogether as I realize I'm not as well versed on Japanese suffixes as I should be and I at times over-use of misuse them.

4. Hmm, never noticed that. I'll have to look out for my overuse of that word in the future. Thank you.

1. thank you. I really got the main idea for it around the time of the Pain arc. Everyone thought a timeskip was going to happen and I kind of thought what would happen if Naruto was forced to leave the village by Danzo (who at the time was elected Hokage). The idea pretty much sprouted from there.

2. Death is a part of war and sadly, life. It wasn't easy to make those decisions to kill off these characters but I felt it necessary for the growth of the story.

3. Thank you. Romance does play a prominent role in this story. Though I have often said it's more about quality than quantity. Plus considering I was writing a story where the world was essentially going to hell it made little sense to me to make this story overly romantic and sappy. People were dying. It really wasn't time to make out. Lol! Both SaiHina and NejIno are crack pairings I absolutely love. Add that to NaruSaku, LeeTen and ShikaTem and you have my fav pairings in Naruto.

4. NO BASHING! That is a major thing with me. You'll notice that in my stories I try to avoid any bias I may have and merely use characters in the best way for the story. And for the record, I don't hate Sasuke. I hate Sasuke apologists. Lol!

5. Another major goal in my story (and all my stories) is to highlight how Sakura can be an effective and realistic heroine and non-selfish person, while at the same time keeping her personality intact. Her fights TBH, are my favorites to write as I get to really experiment with her abilities. Her fight with Kisame is my personal favorite in the series.

Thank you for reading KotC and I hope you continue to enjoy and continue to let me know what you think of subsequent chapters.

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Ok, so here is the next chapter in Curse of the Namikaze. I hope you enjoy and please remember to leave a review (big or small) when done.

* * *

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter VI: Meeting of the Sages

_******Konoha Medical Center – Early Morning******_

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he poured chakra into the seal on Sakura's arm and then ripped it off. His wife was bruised, bloody and her clothes were torn. He was thankful that he'd decided to place the seal for his Flying Thunder God technique inside her vest or else he would never have made it in time.

"Yeah." Sakura replied as she steadied herself. With the chakra seal removed she could feel her chakra flowing through her body once more. It was like a dam in her body had burst and she could feel her strength returning to her. However, she still felt weak. Sakura quickly ran to Ozuru who was still collapsed in pain. "Stay with me Ozuru." she said as she immediately began to heal his wounds.

"Is he going to be okay?" Naruto asked as he stood over her.

"Ha! Are you kidding?" Sakura asked. "Ozuru would be a failure of an apprentice if he let this kill him." Despite her brave words, Naruto could see the concern in her eyes and the slight trembling of her body and he himself had seen enough wounds to know Ozuru was in far worse condition than she was willing to admit. But he knew not to bother her now as she was engrossed in healing him. Naruto walked through the shattered wall and found Yori atop a pile of rubble. His body was visibly broken and twisted and he made a wheezing sound as he gasped for air. Clearly at least one of his lungs had been punctured.

"He…He's just a boy." Naruto said in astonishment. When he'd arrived and saw Sakura bruised and bloody and Ozuru on the floor near death, Naruto was instantly blinded by rage. All he'd seen in that moment was a target. It was only now, as he saw this boy, who appeared no older than fifteen laying in a heap that he winced and regretted using such a powerful attack.

Naruto walked over to Ozuru and knelt next him. "Who are you?" He asked. "Who do you work for?"

Yori smiled. His teeth were stained red with blood. "Th-The White Snake hides in plain sight. I am but a fang." Yori used his tongue to remove a fake tooth in his mouth and spat it out. Hidden within the cavity was a small hidden pill. Without hesitation he slipped the pill between his teeth and bit down.

"No!" Naruto yelled as he tried to pry the boys' mouth open the second he realized what he was up to. But it was too late. Yori's body stiffened as the poison reached his heart and it seized. His body began to shake violently before Yori gasped and his eyes rolled up. "Damn it!" Naruto exclaimed in frustration.

Hearing the commotion, Sakura stepped into the room. Looking at the scene in front of her she asked. "Is he..?"

"Dead." Naruto replied as he touched the young boys' neck, searching for a pulse. Naruto sighed. "Why would someone so young do this?" Naruto quickly scanned the boy. He was clearly wearing the standard uniform of a Konoha ninja and on his sleeve was the insignia identifying him as a member of the Guard Corps.

"Is Ozuru alright?" Naruto asked as he stood up and walked over to his wife.

"He's stable." She replied as she turned to leave the room. "We'll need to get him downstairs as soon as…" A wave of dizziness and a cramp in her stomach nearly knocked Sakura off her feet as she suddenly wavered and collapsed.

Naruto grabbed Sakura by the arm before she could fall and held her close to him to keep her from falling. "Are you alright?"

Sakura turned and smiled. "I'll be fine. We just need to help Ozuru now. I've stabilized him enough for him to be moved but we need to get him downstairs." She stroked his cheek as she stepped away from him. "Please Naruto, we should hurry."

Naruto looked at her with concern and sighed. "Right." Naruto answered as he walked by her and went to lift Ozuru up.

Sakura watched in silence as her husband scooped him up and made his way out of the room. She looked back at the broken body in the other room and placed her hand on her stomach. _Something's wrong_, she thought as she recalled the pain she felt as she tried to fight him off.

_******Sometime Later******_

"I'm what!?" Sakura yelled in disbelief. She was sitting in her office. The place was still in a shambles from the early morning attack.

"I said you're pregnant." Ino replied with a smile as she stood in front of her long time friend.

"A-Are you sure?" Sakura asked as she sat back in her chair. "Check it again!"

"I ran the test three times." Ino said with a hint of annoyance as she handed the paperwork to her friend. "That was the reason you've been feeling strange lately. It also explains the nausea, dizziness and intense pain you were feeling during that attack. Right now you're chakra is directly linked with that of your child. When that guy sealed your chakra he also sealed away the chakra that was going to your child. Think of it like shutting off oxygen. That's why you started feeling that pain. You're lucky Naruto was able to remove the seal when he did. Any longer and it could have done irreparable damage to your baby. Or perhaps even killed it out right. As it is, it appears healthy, though you're only about a month and a half along. So it'll be some time before we can really know for sure."

Sakura took a deep breath. "Pregnant." She whispered to herself as she tried to make sense of her situation.

Ino looked at the concerned look on her friends face. She crouched down so that she was eye level with Sakura. "Usually a woman would be more excited when they find out she and her husband are expecting their first child."

"I-I am." Sakura stuttered. "It's just that…Naruto and I aren't prepared. We wanted to spend some more time just being together before starting a family. There's so much going on. I don't think we're ready."

"Nonsense!" Ino yelled. "I was just as scared as you are when I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified that Neji and I wouldn't be good parents. But after Inose was born it was like we were born to be parents. We can't think of life without her and Natsumi. And you and Naruto will be too."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

Ino smiled. "Tell Naruto. He'll be thrilled."

"Thanks Ino." Sakura said with a smile. "I'll tell him. But I should wait until all this business with Kiba is settled. So much is going on."

"Right." Ino nodded as she stood up and walked over to a nearby table and began leafing through some papers.

For a while Sakura was lost in her thoughts. She put her hand to her stomach as she looked at it. The shock of Ino's words had yet to settle in. At that time she heard Ino laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Well, since this will be your first child you'll have to look for me for advice." Ino said proudly. "Don't worry Sakura. I'll take good care of you and guide you well. Of course as payment you'll have to refer to me as sen-pai!"

"I'm not going to call you that." Sakura glowered.

_******Meanwhile******_

"So what do we know so far?" Naruto asked as he sat with some of his advisors: Hinata, Sai, Neji, Shikaku and Shikamaru.

"Most of the prisoners have either been killed or captured." Sai replied. "I've dispatched all the ANBU we could spare to secure the prison. All the prisoners are on complete lockdown."

"I've also dispatched officers around the village for increased security.' Neji responded.

"I cancelled all non-essential missions and sent ninja out to secure our borders." Shikamaru added.

"Do we know the identities of the prisoners who are still at large?" Naruto asked.

"From what we can tell all of the ninja who escaped belong to the Akatsuki ninja you captured a week ago." Inoichi responded. "It appears they used the other prisoners to cause a diversion to cover their escape. We're also missing the war criminal Shojimaru Inoue. We're not sure if he was in league with these men but we're working with the assumption that he is seeing as how he himself was a former Akatsuki general. It is possible this was all about breaking him out. Also, considering that the one who tried to kill Sakura was a member of the Guard Corp. we have to assume that he was the one who released the prisoners and removed the seal from the Akatsuki members."

"And what about casualties?" Naruto asked.

"Reports from the Medical Division indicate no civilian casualties." Hinata answered. "We were able to react fast enough to prevent any deaths thankfully. However there were roughly two hundred people who were injured. Their injuries are mostly non-life threatening but according to Sakura-chan's report, about a dozen of them are in critical condition. She does expect them all to pull through."

"The same can't be said for the Guard Corps however." Shikamaru said. "They where hit hard during the escape. From what we could tell they were overwhelmed from the start. Most of the night shift was wiped out. We're looking at casualties over forty percent to the unit. That's also including the division captain, Toshiro Nara."

"Damn!" Naruto yelled. "How could something like this have happened?"

"Well, that's just it." Shikamaru interrupted. "We're thinking that this wasn't a random prison break. I believe that it's possible that those Akatsuki ninja wanted to get caught."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"We're still working on that." Shikamaru replied. "But one things' for sure; they wanted to get caught and brought in where they had an inside man. We just need to find out why and who they could be working for."

"The kid Yori said he was a fang of the snake." Naruto said. "I'm not sure what he meant. Anyone know who he was?"

"Yori was one of the children being kept by ROOT for programming." Sai answered. "According to the files he was kid from the land of Snow that ROOT found when he was three. There was no information about his parents or how ROOT found him. He spent his entire life in their base and wasn't yet an active ninja when we found him. We've been keeping all the kids under surveillance. Yori was one of the few to choose to become a ninja. After he completed his training he volunteered to join the Guard Corps which was fine as we wanted him to stay in the village anyway. Right now we're not sure how he was able to fool all of our security protocols and physiological tests or how or when he came into contact with anyone from Akatsuki. Right now Inoichi and his men are gathering all of those kids as we speak to be reassessed."

_******Meanwhile – Konoha's Intelligence & Interrogation Headquarters******_

"Bring them in here." Inoichi said as he gestured to the four empty seats in the large, sparsely furnished room. Two young teenagers, an auburn haired girl with a band-aid under her left eyes and a grey-eyed, blonde boy walked into the room.

They looked around the room and saw almost two dozen young teens all ranging near the same age sitting in chairs. A shudder of fear ran through them as they recognized the faces of the teens staring back. They remembered the fear, the desperation and the soul crushing loneliness they all shared for so many years. "Please sit." Inoichi said sternly.

The two teens took their seats in silence. Inoichi looked at all of the doe eyed faces that stared back. It was hard to think of these kids as hostile. But until it was confirmed that they were not a threat he knew he had to treat them as such. Because despite their innocent look, the fact still remained that these teens, some from the time they were able to walk, were indoctrinated into the defunct organization ROOT. Trained to be emotionless and merciless killers, they were saved from such a fate when ROOT was disbanded.

A few of them chose to become ninja and the Hokage allowed it, under strict supervision and limited access. Most however, chose to be civilians, wanting nothing to do with the ninja world. "W-Why are we here?" The auburn haired girl asked.

"You're here for a standard reassessment of your progress in acclimating with society." Inoichi said. "Be co-operative and this should be quick."

"Bullshit!" Everyone looked back to see an older teen with dark, spikey hair. He wore blue pants and a black, sleeveless shirt and a necklace made of sea shells. He had a deep, toothy grin on his face while he spun a toothpick in his mouth.

Inoichi quickly looked at one of the file folders spread out across his desk. His gaze fell to one in particular with a picture of the same young man. _Root Cadet 802_, Inoichi read. _He took the name Shibatora Akita._

"Our next evaluation isn't for another two months!" Shibatora continued. "And since when do we do this as a group? Everyone knows we always have one on one sessions."

"Shibatora Akita." Inoichi said as he picked up the young man's file. "Seventeen years old. You were one of the older kids ROOT had. You chose to live in foster care. Unfortunately no one adopted you. You left the orphanage a year ago and got a job as a messenger. You've been arrested four times in the last year for disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and fighting in a bar where you put four men in the hospital. I'd say a re-evaluation is very necessary."

"Umm," the auburn haired girl spoke up. "802…" Shibatora shot her a murderous glance. "I…I mean Shibatora-kun has a point. This isn't standard protocol."

"Jun Hiyama." Inoichi said as he picked up her file. "Fifteen years old. Adopted by Kohaku and Masami Hiyama four years ago. Forgive me but considering certain special circumstances we needed to do this."

"Special circumstances?" Jun asked.

"You always were a ditz you know that 814." Shibatora said spitefully to Jun. Inoichi could tell that he did so only in response to her calling Shibatora by his former cadet number.

Jun glared at Shibatora and gritted her teeth. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. But Inoichi wasn't surprised by the reaction. According to the psychological evaluations all these kids went through, they all seemed to exhibit emotional, even violent reactions to being called by their former ROOT designation. Even Sai, who'd long since left ROOT seemed to react negatively when referred to by his ROOT number.

"He's talking about the attack this morning." Shibatora continued. "Clearly something must have happened and now they think this was an inside job. Which means they have to check us out. Don't you get it? They talk about wanting us to be respected members of society but in reality they just see us as bombs they want to prevent from going off." All the teens in the room began to mumble and speak among themselves.

"Enough!" Inoichi yelled as he took command of the room. "Akita-kun is correct. The truth is, we believe one of your number was somehow compromised. And we need to confirm that he was the only one of you that was. I know this isn't pleasant or even fair. But it is necessary. Cooperate and we'll finish this quickly."

"W-Which one?" Another teen asked. She was short with a dark shoulder length hair a rounded face and glasses. "Which one of us did it?"

Inoichi was hesitant to answer when Shibatora spoke up. "It's obvious. It was Yori wasn't it? He's the only one of us who's not here." Inoichi didn't answer. "So what happened to him? Is he dead?" Still Inoichi didn't answer. That was all they needed to know as a gloom fell among the teens as they fell quiet. "Tch!" Shibatora exclaimed as he shook his head slightly. "That kid always was a real dumbass."

"Let's begin shall we?" Inoichi asked as he looked at the young faces in front of him.

_******Meanwhile******_

"So what's our next move Naruto?" Shikaku asked.

Naruto gave things some thought. "I want a group of trackers organized and sent in pursuit to find any trace of them. Do not engage them. I just want them followed to wherever they're going and…" Naruto was suddenly interrupted by loud laughter coming from just outside the door. "Who's there?"

Just as Sai, who was the closest to the door, stood up the double doors swung open revealing a figure standing in the doorway. He wore a maroon colored cloak with white, red and yellow markings that resembled a snakes head on the top of the hood. The figure continued to laugh as everyone, save for Naruto, leapt to their feet.

"Who the hell are you?!" Shikamaru yelled. "And how the hell did you get in here?!"

"Is this how you treat all your guests?" The person said. "How rude. I expected better from those who run this newer, kinder Konoha."

"You talk about being rude, but you're the unannounced stranger here!" Neji yelled.

"Oh! Neji-kun, believe me…" The person said as he pulled back his hood. Everyone gasped as they saw the familiar face. "…I am no stranger."

"Kabuto!" Shikaku yelled in disbelief.

"Please, I prefer Kabumaru now." Kabumaru protested.

"Why are you here?!" Hinata questioned.

"Well, it's not to speak to lesser creatures such as yourself." Kabumaru replied harshly. "I came to speak to your fearless leader."

Naruto sat motionless with his eyes closed as everyone looked to him. A moment later a redish-orange pigmentation surrounded his eyes and as he opened his eyes, the irises were yellow and his pupils frog-like. Naruto immediately looked to Kabumaru as a silent yet massive blast of nature energy none but he and his target could feel emanated from his body and swept towards Kabumaru only for that energy to be met by Kabumaru's own similar power. _He mastered Senjutsu?!_ Naruto thought in shock. For a brief time there was a silent tug of war between them that only they were aware of as their senjutsu battled for dominance.

A moment later Kabumaru smiled. "Do you know when the last time two master sages met in battle was? It was approximately sixty-five years ago. The result altered the surrounding land beyond recognition, creating a new river in the process. I wonder Naruto-kun, how much of your precious village would survive a battle between us?"

Naruto took a deep breath as he understood the Kabumaru's threat. If they were to fight here, in the center of the village, who knows how many may die and how much of the village would be obliterated. At least for the moment, Naruto was a hostage due to his inability to act. "What do you want?" He asked.

"Oh don't ask such simple questions Naruto-kun." Kabumaru replied as he walked into the room. "Such things should be beneath you." Kabumaru quickly scanned the room. He could see the nervousness and fear in the faces of everyone in the room save Naruto. It was palpable. And he loved it. "I came to talk of course." Kabumaru walked up to the nearest chair to Naruto as everyone stepped aside like a parting sea. "May I?" He asked as he gestured to the chair.

Naruto remained silent as Kabumaru took his seat. "It's good to see you again Naruto-kun." Kabumaru said. "It's been years. It's always good to reconnect with an old friend. I love what you did with Konoha by the way. It truly is impressive how far you've come from that sad little boy pretending to be a man. I must say I had my doubts about you. But your enemies kept making the same fatal error with you, didn't they? The kept underestimating you. But that's the way it is with men of power. They tend to have the same weakness: arrogance."

Naruto tried to scan Kabuto, he could feel the senjutsu surrounding him. But there was something else about Kabumaru that he couldn't pinpoint. Something about the chakra emanating from him was more than just full of hate. There was something profane. "I'm not someone with a lot of time for idle chat, Kabumaru. You came here for a reason. Get to the point."

"Indeed," Kabumaru replied with a chuckle.

_******Meanwhile******_

Jun sat in a chair directly across from a member of the Yamanka clan as he probed her mind. Standing right next to him was Inoichi, looking on intently. "She's clean." The ninja said a second later as he broke the link.

"Send in the next one!" He yelled to other nearby ninja. Jun stood up and bowed to Inoichi politely before leaving the room and returning to the large room where the other teens waited. As she walked by, another teen, a young boy who was only thirteen walked by as he went into the room.

Jun walked to her seat and was met by Shibatora who waited anxiously. "Well?" He asked.

Meanwhile, the young boy closed the door behind him as he was escorted to where Inoichi and his assistant waited. "Sit here." Inoichi said as he motioned to the empty seat. "This will be quick and will not hurt." Before the boy could sit he grabbed his head in pain and began to moan. "What's going on?" Inoichi asked as all the guards and his assistant stood at the ready. "Hey kid?! What's wrong?!" Just then he heard loud moaning coming from the other room.

Inoichi walked to the door and opened it. He was met with the sight of all of teens, each similarly clutching at their heads and groaning in pain. "What's..?" Before he could finish his thought all of the teens seemed to stop at the same time.

As the pain subsided, Jun raised her head and looked around. It was like a fog had been lifted from over her eyes. She looked around and her gaze met Shibatora's who had a similar look in his eyes. Shibatora nodded to her. She knew in that moment what she was meant to do.

_******Meanwhile******_

Kabumaru laughed. "I must say, you've come a long way from that strange little boy you once were! You're so stern and harsh now, Naruto-kun." Kabumaru was silent for a moment, as he expected some sort of response. But Naruto remained silent and merely glared at him. "You should smile more. It's rare for old friends to catch up. And we have so much history together."

"We were never friends Kabumaru." Naruto responded. "You're just a sick and twisted man who was perverted by Orochimaru as a boy. And now, you've become an even bigger monster." For a brief moment Naruto saw a pang of rage on Kabumaru's face as his eyes became almost feral.

A moment later Kabumaru appeared to calm himself. He then leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the ceiling with a contented smile. "Ahh! I can see how upset you are with me. But nevertheless I'm happy for this time we can share. After all, I owe you so much. Of course it was by your example that I was able to reinvent myself. It was you who showed me the way Naruto-kun." Looking down he leant forward in his chair and placed his hand on Naruto's.

Instinctively, Naruto tried to teleport himself and Kabumaru out of the office. _If I take him far enough away I can deal with him in my own. _He thought. But to his surprise, he felt a sudden jolt of energy from Kabumaru. Again, it was something only he, as a fellow sage could notice.

Kabumaru smiled. "I don't think you'll be taking me anywhere Naruto-kun." Naruto immediately yanked his hand out from under Kabumaru's. "I took the liberty of studying the Flying Thunder God and formulated a way to counteract it. Now, where were we? Ahh, yes! I was telling you how much I owe you for showing me the truth about myself and how I have come to do the same for you."

"You killed Inuzuka Kiba." Naruto said as he fought to control himself. "Why? And where are the other members of his team?"

Kabumaru shot Naruto a curious glance and then a big toothy grin spread across his face "That's interesting." He said almost as though he were speaking to himself. He then looked to Naruto and continued. "I really can't say right now. But in any event all I will tell you is "all good things come to those who wait" Naruto-kun."

"You left his body for us to find." Naruto responded. "Why? What are you up to?"

"Sorry Naruto-kun, but I can't make it too easy on you can I? But, you'll find out. If you can see with the eyes of a true ninja that is."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

Kabumaru merely chuckled. "Breadcrumbs, Naruto-kun. Breadcrumbs. Follow them, and you'll be able to find your true self."

_******Meanwhile******_

Inoichi groaned in pain as he sat against the wall covered in blood. He looked down to see a kunai, still buried in his chest. He raised his hand and reached for the blade. He gritted his teeth as he tried in vein to pull it out but he'd lost too much blood. He was far too weak.

Inoichi's arm fell limply to the side as he looked around the room. All of his men lay dead or dying as the group of teens, who were formally inductees of ROOT stood talking amongst themselves drenched in the blood of his fallen comrades. Inoichi cursed himself for his mistakes in giving them the benefit of the doubt. Usually, in cases such as this the proper protocol would have been to keep them all separated so that they could each be individually examined. But these kids, when they were found after the fall of ROOT had all been mentally scanned and nothing alarming was found. So this second check was just a routine re-evaluation.

Never in his wildest dreams did he consider the fact that they had not only missed something with a few of them, but they had failed in detecting a mental defect with all of them. It had all happened so quickly. One second all of these kids began to suffer from what seemed to be debilitating headaches, the next, they were all on the attack. Were they sleeper agents? Were they being controlled? Inoichi couldn't tell.

In the end, right now it didn't matter as these kids who spent their last few years as civilians moved and reacted like well trained soldiers. It was a testament to the rigorous training of ROOT. But that left Inoichi and his men woefully unprepared. Within moments, he and his men were overwhelmed by these teens who all knew high level jutsu. And despite Inoichi's best efforts, he quickly found himself with a kunai buried in his chest.

Inoichi looked over to the alarm on the far side of the wall and then to the teenagers who all seemed preoccupied changing their clothes into long brown robes they each had hidden. Several minutes ago, after the rout of his men, the kids began to strip naked and began using markers to right words all over their bodies. Inoichi was too far away and his vision too blurred for him to see what it was. He wasn't sure what they were planning, but he knew it wasn't good. He had to do something. But what?

Inoichi had taken part in enough battles and seen enough critical wounds to know that he was done for. But if he could at least pull the alarm he could warn someone on the outside of this threat. Inoichi grunted as he pulled himself across the floor leaving a streak of blood in his wake. The pain was intense as he used his one good arm to will himself across the ground. He could feel his strength leaving him. He was losing too much blood. This would be his last act as a ninja of Konoha. As he moved he thought of the smiling face of his daughter and granddaughter. He felt a pang of regret as he did. He was nearly there when someone's foot stepped on his out stretched hand.

Inoichi yelled and looked up to see Jun smiling down sweetly at him. It was if she had no knowledge of what she'd done or what was happening around her. She had the sweet smile of an innocent young girl. "You're still alive?" She asked. "Good." Jun reached down and grabbed Inoichi by the collar and began to pull him towards the others. Inoichi tried to struggle but he was so weak he could barely put up a fight. As Jun came up to the others they all watched her in silence as she tossed his body at their feet. At that moment Shibatora, in a long brown hooded robe, stepped out of the group. "We'll use this one." Jun said with a smile.

"Right." Shibatora said as he kneeled down in front of Inoichi. He grabbed the handle of the kunai that was still stuck in Inoichi's chest and slowly twisted it as he pulled it free causing Inoichi to scream. "Hey. Don't go dying on us just yet okay." Shibatora stood up and looked at the others. "Come, we don't have much time."

_******Meanwhile******_

"Find my true self?" Naruto asked. "Is that how you justify what you've done here? Is that why you want to kill me?"

Kabumaru laughed. His tongue slithered out of his mouth like a viper. "If I wanted to kill you I could have done it all ready."

Naruto shook his head and smirked. "Empty threats like that won't work on…"

"Did you like the flowers I left you Naruto?" Kabumaru replied before Naruto could finish. Naruto's eyes widened and his body tensed as he looked into the eyes of Kabumaru who smiled wide as his tongue wagged about slowly. "I wasn't sure what kind to bring you. But as I stood there watching you sleep in peaceful bliss with your lovely wife, after the two of you fornicated like wild dogs, I knew white Chrysanthemums were the best choice, wouldn't you agree? They have so much meaning within them. I'm sure Sakura-chan absolutely loved…"

Naruto suddenly leapt out of his seat and grabbed Kabumaru by the collar, pulling him to his feet. He could feel every nerve on edge and his rage bubbling to surface. If he were still the host of the Nine Tails he would have long since lost control. Kabumaru had a smirk plastered on his face as he calmly observed the fuming Hokage.

_******Meanwhile******_

Iwana Akame stood on the rooftop of a low rise building as he watched the citizens go about their day. It was early morning in Konoha and tensions were high after the pre-dawn attacks. He, along with every available ninja had been activated and strategically placed around the village to stand guard.

Iwana looked around the rooftops at the dozens of his fellow ninja scattered about standing watch as well as the many ninja down on the ground watching the crowds. Suddenly he heard a loud alarm ringing through the air. He looked around to see that it was coming from a large white building to the east. _That's coming from the Intelligence and Interrogation Headquarters!_ Iwana thought.

Instantly, he and many of his fellow ninja were on the move heading towards the building at a rapid pace. The moment they arrived, they saw Ibiki Morino standing outside with several other ninja. "Sir!"

"I want you men to remain outside to ensure no one escapes!" Ibiki yelled over the alarm. "The rest of you, follow me inside."

"Sir, do you know who could be in there?" Iwana asked.

"Right now the only ones in there should be Inoichi and his men and the kids from ROOT." Ibiki said as he and his men ran inside. "But I want you all on your guard." As Ibiki and his men stormed into the main hall they all came to a stop as they came face to face with the most horrifying scene they could imagine.

All of the teens stood in a tight group in the center of the room wearing brown robes. And nailed to the wall and stripped naked were the dead, mutilated bodies of all the guards. "My god!" Ibiki yelled in horror. There were kanji dug into their flesh from head to toe.

"You're all under arrest!" Ibiki yelled as he signaled his men to surround the group. Ibiki then walked closer to the group of youths who all remained silent. "Who's in charge here?" He asked. "Why would you do something like this?

In that moment Ibiki looked to the closest hanging body and recognized the markings that were cut into the bodies flesh. "Shit!" He yelled. "Evacuate! Everyone get the hell out!"

At the same time Jun stepped from the center of her group and removed her robe revealing her naked body. She was covered from her neck down to her knees in tattoos. The tattoos were the same markings as those cut into the bodies of the dead. As she removed her robes, so too did the others and at that moment Ibiki knew that they had walked into an inescapable trap. All the markings on their bodies were the same as that of explosive tags. These kids had turned themselves into living bombs. "The White Snake hides in plain sight!" Jun yelled. "And we are but fangs!"

_******Meanwhile******_

Naruto looked around the room. Everyone stood at the ready, their eyes darting back and forth from Kabumaru to Naruto, waiting for any command to attack. But despite their bravery, Naruto could see the fear in the eyes of his friends. They were all at the center of a powder keg primed to explode and Naruto knew what happened next would be based on his decisions. It was at that moment, he once again felt a strange aura coming from Kabumaru. There was something profane about his chakra. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Naruto let the man go and slowly took his seat, never taking his eyes off of him.

"Do I have your attention now Naruto-kun?" Kabumaru asked. "This is, after all, what I did all this for. I needed to get your attention. I needed you to see how important this is to me Naruto-kun. And how important it should be to you."

"What's important?" Naruto asked.

"The truth!" Kabumaru yelled as he slammed his fist on the desk, causing everyone in the room, except for Naruto to jump. "That's the only thing that matters in this world Naruto. The truth. Facts. Scientific knowledge. Inescapable and undeniable information that determines the reality of the world we live in. These are the only things that grant true power in this world. Tell me Naruto-kun, what is your truth?"

Kabumaru leaned forward in his chair and poked Naruto in the chest lightly. "What is your truth in there?" Kabumaru leaned back. "You see, all men have two sides to themselves. Light and darkness. Love and hate. Good and evil. Yin and yang. But where most people believe these are opposing forces they are in reality, complementary forces. Things only go wrong when one focuses too much on one side over the other. What is your truth, Namikaze Naruto, Hokage of Konoha? Have you truly found it yet?"

"You know, I learned much about the human condition when I spent time in the ROOT prisons." Kabumaru continued. "It was quite enlightening as I searched for what I needed from his archives." Kabumaru laughed. "That old fool Danzo truly believed that he had me. That it was by his will that I was his prisoner. In his arrogance he never even fathomed the possibility that I allowed myself to be captured so that I could find what I needed. And I did find it. I found that and so much more as I slipped from my cell from time to time. You see one night I also stumbled onto the little chicks ROOT kept to raise into weapons. They were so scared, so young, so…impressionable. All I had to do was whisper sweet nothings in their ear."

"What are you talking about?" Sai asked as he grew more alarmed by Kabumaru's words.

Kabumaru laughed. "You of all people should understand Cadet 732." Kabumaru noticed Sai flinch as he called him by his former designation. The mere fact Kabumaru even knew what it was unsettled him. "You should understand the hopelessness, the fear, the desperation and above all, the hate. Hate that can be harnessed if given the proper motivation."

Naruto looked to Sai and back to Kabumaru. "What did you do?"

"And in the end, that's all it's about right?" Kabumaru continued as though he hadn't heard the question. "It's all about motivation. Threaten a man's home, his family, and he will act. But unfortunately when the threat fades, so too does his desire to act. But, if you successfully destroy those things. If you put him through unspeakable horrors. Then he will move heaven and earth to seek revenge. In the end, revenge is the ultimate motivation. You see Naruto-kun, you are also guilty of the same failings of a man with power. You fail to understand the forces that oppose you. You look at me as a monster, a madman. But in reality, I am but a humble teacher. You see I took those little chicks and I taught them to harness their hate. I gave them wings. And now they will help to teach you a lesson. Lesson number one: No man or kingdom is untouchable. Case in point." The second Kabumaru uttered that final sentence an explosion ripped through a nearby building causing everyone to leap to attention.

"What the hell was that?!" Shikaku yelled as everyone ran to the balcony, leaving Naruto and Kabumaru seated. Kabumaru continued to smile as his intense glare remained fixed on Naruto who was visibly on edge.

"Th-That's Intelligence and Interrogation Headquarters." Neji said in disbelief as everyone watched as the large building collapsed in on itself. People nearby screamed as they desperately tried to get out of range of the falling debris. "It…it's been completely obliterated."

"Oh no!" Hinata whispered. She then looked to Neji, whose hands trembled as he grasped the railing. "Neji..!"

Just then they heard Kabumaru behind them. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Everyone looked back to him as he stared at Neji. "Now let me guess. Yamanaka Inoichi, a member of this inner circle, was not here because…I can assume…as captain of your I & I Division he was dealing with other important matters? Such as the interrogation of those little chicks that have grown to be hawks? Which means he…probably was in that building wasn't he?"

Neji activated his Byakugan and stared through the smoke and debris. He could see dozens of bodies scattered among the rubble. Nothing moved within the mine field which was once the headquarters of I & I. He gritted his teeth and fought the tears that welled in his eyes. Unable to look anymore Neji deactivated his Byakugan and stared down to the ground.

"How absolutely tragic." Kabumaru said mockingly. Neji looked back at him as the monster smiled at him. "My condolences to you and your lovely wife Neji-kun. But look on the bright side, there may be an opening for head of the Yamanaka Clan. And I've heard a rumor that your wife may have the inside track. Let's keep our fingers crossed shall we?" Kabumaru's maniacal laughter echoed through the room and down the hall as Naruto could feel his anxiety rise.

Neji tensed as he reached for a kunai that he had hidden away and lunged at the laughing man. "You son of a bitch!" The usually stoic Neji screamed as he attacked.

Naruto's eyes widened as a morbid realization sunk in as he saw his friend closing in on Kabumaru. Unless he acted quickly, Naruto was a hundred percent sure that Neji was about to die.

_******End of Chapter Six******_

**Next Chapter:** _Torn And Frayed_


	7. Torn and Frayed

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin to stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

I'd like to give a special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: Killer of thy Cookies; 25BAM50; Junky; imsabbel; Maria; duesal10; Pumpkin8824; GodRealm; happy everday life; MyHikari; airnaruto45; Pip-Doodley-Doo; BigPac09; boyarina; don't worrie bout it & laurah2493.

_**RESPONCES**_

**Killer of thy Cookies** - Neji's fate will be revealed in this chapter. Hope you like it. And I will always respond to any review I get.

**25BAM50** - Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy his character. He's only getting started.

**Junky** - Thank you for the heads up Junky and I took your advice.

**imsabbel** - Hmm, just because I didn't show the battle doesn't mean they were killed easily. That said, remember that these were kids and essentially were underestimated. I hope you come to enjoy the story more.

**Maria** - I'm glad that you enjoy the story so far. It is my goal to really make Kabumaru into a seriously frightening villain.

**Duesal10** - Yes. Tragedy...and coming out from that...is a major theme of this story. Lol! I'm not sure if Kabumaru's demise (if does indeed die at all) will be so painful. But we'll see. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Pumpkin8824** - Thank you.

**GodRealm** - Yes. One thing about this new story is that I want there to be a constant sense of dread and fear for the safety of the characters we've grown to love.

**happy everyday life** - Actually I plan to one day show exactly what Kabumaru did to them. Just not yet. But one day.

**MyHikari** - Ha! Glad you loved it. I find it odd that so many are surprised by Sakura's pregnancy. I did mention their children at the end of Book III. Oh well. Thanks.

**airnaruto45** - Uh! I can't say I do. But I think Naruto will manage without Itachi's help. Lol!

**Pip-Doodely-Doo** - Well thank you very much. I hope you continue to enjoy.

**BigPac09** - Lol! Ok, I will admit that the "humble teacher" phrase was inspired by Iron Man. The Mandarins speech in that movie was so epic. I loved it.

Yes, I do plan to give out bits and pieces of info at a time. Not too much though. Sage Kabumaru seemed like a natural progression and don't be fooled by Naruto's lack of power in that chapter. He's not as weak as you think. He merely couldn't use it yet.

Sakura's decision will have consequences that will affect her, Naruto and even Kabumaru. Keep reading and you'll see.

**boyarina** - Thanks. And I'm glad you enjoyed that scene.

**don't worrie bout it** - So a fan of SS has come to love my fic huh? Lol! Well that's pretty cool. Thank you for giving it a chance first off. And I apologize if you're finding similar enjoyment with other Naruto fics. I'm humbled by the praise. the realistic evolution of these characters from young teens who were just trying to figure things out, to grown men and women with a level of confidence in themselves was something VERY important to me. I wanted to make these characters more mature than what you find in other fics and the canon.

I apologize for killing off Sasuke but as you said it made sense to do so. You don't like the Sasuke / Karin relationship? Shame. I do. She's kind of crazy, true. But I think it has the ability to work.

It's nice to know that you liked how I represented SaiHina and NejIno. I really loved those pairings and I wanted others to see what I see in them. Lee's death, and the chapter I dedicated to his funeral was one of the most enjoyable chapters I wrote. I really wanted the emotion of his loss to be felt by the reader and I think I got it.

Sakura vs. Kisame was also one of my favorite fight scenes. It was my chance to finally show what she could do if allowed to really cut loose. Thankfully Kishi appears to be doing that now with the canon manga. Go Sakura!

Glad you enjoyed the first three books and I look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks!

**laurah2493** - Thank you so much!

_**MESSAGE TO THE AUTHOR**_

GO NARUSAKU! Sorry but after the last few chapters I'm a bit insane right now! Lol! BTW, I made a quick poll for you NS lovers out there. It's on my home page. Let your voices be heard! Anyway, sorry for the late release. I had a few issues preventing my chapter from coming out earlier. Please leave a little review for this chapter when done. The next chapter will be out on 6/23/2013 (MY BIRTHDAY!). A new chapter of Seven Sins will be out on 06/16/2013. Thanks.

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Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter VII: Torn and Frayed

"You son of a bitch!" Neji screamed as he ran towards the laughing Kabumaru, his Byakugan active and a kunai drawn.

Within the brief moment that Neji was closing in, Naruto felt a murderous intent from Kabumaru. "Neji!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs. He was so loud everyone paused. Even Neji, shocked by the outburst, had come to an immediate stop only two feet away from Kabumaru. "Don't take another step!" Naruto commanded.

"Neji-kun, please calm down." Hinata protested as she stepped between her grieving cousin and the sinister Kabumaru. "You can't let you're anger get the better of you."

Shikaku then walked over and stood between the two and put his hand on Neji's shoulder. "She's right Neji." Neji could feel Shikaku's hand trembling. His voice quivered with rage and grief and his eyes were reddened with the tears he was forcing back. Neji could see the weight that Shikaku was feeling right now. Inoichi was not only one of his best friends but also his former teammate from the previous generation of InoShikaCho. "This…is exactly what this bastard wants." Shikaku continued.

"Shikaku's right." Naruto said. He held his arms on the table straight ahead as his fists were clenched. And he looked straight ahead, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone. "Let me deal with Kabumaru. You have a job to do. You and Shikaku need to go gather your men and search for any survivors. I also need you to inform all citizens that they need to return home for their own protection until we can ensure that we've put an end to this threat once and for all. Not to mention searching for survivors. If there are any, they are going to need immediate help."

"I'll go with them." Hinata replied. Naruto nodded. "Let's go Neji." Hinata grabbed Neji by the arm and led him out of the room as he glared at Kabumaru.

Shikaku stood perfectly still with his back turned to Kabumaru. His fists were clenched as he stared at the blue sky through the balcony. "I just want you to know one thing Kabumaru." He said before he turned to face Kabumaru. "I hope that I am lucky enough to be the one that kills you." Kabumaru merely smiled as Shikaku looked to Naruto and nodded before he exited the room.

Kabumaru looked to Naruto who stared angrily out the open balcony towards the smoke rising into the sky. Kabumaru sighed. "Did you feel it?"

Naruto didn't reply. But he had indeed felt what Kabumaru was referring to. As Neji was closing in to attack, Naruto had felt a shift in Kabumaru's chakra. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that if Neji had gotten any closer, Kabumaru would have killed him instantly. Of course Naruto would never have allowed that to happen and would have been forced to step in and the very battle he needed to avoid would have begun.

"You're upset aren't you?" Kabumaru asked mockingly. "Ahh! I knew this would happen? Please don't pout Naruto-kun. You must understand I did this for you."

"For me?!" Naruto yelled as he was growing increasingly impatient.

"Yes!" Kabumaru replied in a pleading tone. "Like I said, it's all about motivation."

"Motivation? Is that why you're doing this? Is that why you tried to kill my wife?"

Kabumaru laughed. "That? Oh no. That was just about trying to see if I could seal that special chakra of hers." Naruto eyes widened as the shock of Kabumaru's words settled in. He felt as though all the air had escaped his lungs in that one moment. Kabumaru smiled as he picked up on his reaction. "Yes, Naruto-kun I know about that too. Now, if I wanted I could let those in the under world know of how special she is. Subject zero of a new and powerful Kekkei Genkai would be very valuable no? But it's because of the past we share that choose not to. I did that for you Naruto-kun. To be honest I didn't really expect Yori to be successful in his assassination attempt. He was a good pawn. Such loyalty is hard to find. But sacrifices are sometimes necessary in the name of science."

Naruto was taking deep, audible breaths now as he could feel his anger and sense of desperation rising. "You don't believe me do you?" Kabumaru asked. "What if I gave you a bit of information?" Naruo looked to him. "What if I gave you the opportunity to prevent one of my examples of motivation? But, where would I strike next? Where could I ensure that a large group of people were gathered together, especially so soon after an attack?"

Naruto gasped as he realized Kabumaru's next target. "The hospital! Shikamaru! Sai!"

"On it!" Shikamaru yelled as he raced out of the room.

Sai paused as he reached the door. "Naruto-kun, are you sure you should be left alone?"

"We don't have a choice." Naruto replied. "Now go!" Sai nodded and left immediately.

"And then there were two." Kabumaru replied with a mocking smile.

_******Meanwhile******_

The medics in the hospital busily ran about as they attended to one patient after another. The results of the early morning attack had them scrambling to heal the injured and save the dozens of dying ninja from the Guard corps. They were so busy that no one noticed the two hooded figures that walked through the front door. The two guards who were stationed at the entrance outside had already been disposed of as they walked into the bustling main hall.

Dozens of people sat about waiting to be seen. Men women and children, terrified and hurt sat anxiously waiting to be tended to. In the middle of it all was a young woman with orange hair tied in two pony tails directing the medics as she tended to patients.

"Please…don't…don't do this." One of the hooded figures said weakly to the other.

"Shut up and keep moving!" The other, person replied venomously.

"I…I won't…"

"You don't have a choice!" The man said as he raised his hand and forced the other to move forward.

Just then Sakura and Ino walked into the area. "Moegi!" Sakura called. "Everything all right here?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan!" Moegi replied. "I just need to…" Moegi noticed the two hooded figures as they walked into the center of the room. One of them seemed to be laboring as they walked. She immediately walked over to them. "Are you two ok?" She asked as she tried to peer under their hoods. "Do you need assistance?"

"No!" One of them said. "We're fine. We're just here to see a patient."

As the two prepared to walk away, Moegi stood in the way. "Well, perhaps you could tell me who and I can lead you to them." As Moegi watched the two suspicious men, Moegi looked down and saw blood at the feet of one of the hooded men who seemed to be laboring with every step. "What's going on here!?" She yelled as she pulled out a kunai.

"Shit!" The taller figure yelled as he removed his robes, revealing his naked body. It was Shibatora and his upper body and thighs were covered in explosive kanji. Shibatora immediately pulled off the robes of the person next to him revealing Inoichi. He was nude with the same kanji symbols carved into his flesh from head to toe.

The room exploded in screams of panic as all of the patients and doctors desperately tried to get away as best they could some ran towards the main exit while others tried to make their way down the halways. Parents clung to their children as they tried to escape whatever horror awaited them.

"Father!" Ino screamed as Sakura grabbed her arm to keep her from running to him.

"Everyone stand back or I'll detonate right here!" Shibatora yelled. "Don't move!" He yelled to Moegi who was still standing in front of them. She could feel her heart pounding as she found herself in front of this seemingly impossible situation. She knew that one wrong move would result in disaster.

Just then, Sai and Shikamaru crashed through the entrance doors with a small group of policemen behind them as crowds of injured people desperately fought to get out. "There he is!" Sai yelled as they fought their way through the panicked crowd.

"Shit!" Shikamaru yelled as he quickly analyzed the situation. The boy had explosive kanji written all over him. And Inoichi had similar markings cut into him. They were walking bombs with enough fire power to destroy half the building. No doubt, the kid was trying to head to the main support column. There he could detonate with enough force to bring the whole place down. And though the people in the waiting area were getting out there was still dozens upon dozens of patients and medical staff in the rooms above. It would take hours to evacuate them all.

"Dad!" Ino said in horror as she looked at her father. Tears came to her eyes as she couldn't bear to see her father in such condition. "We'll get you out of this okay."

Easier said than done, Sakura thought as she looked at Inoichi and Shibatora. Inoichi's in bad shape. Judging by the severity of the wounds and how pale he looks I'm guessing he's lost a large amount of blood. Judging by the pigmentation of his skin I'd say he'll soon go into hypovolemic shock. At which point there may be no hope for him. How is he even able to walk? Sakura looked to Shibatora's right hand and received the answer to that question as she saw chakra thread extending from his fingers to different parts of Inoichi's body. I see. He's using the same jutsu Lady Chiyo used on me back then. First we'd have to sever his connection to get to Inoichi.

Shibatora looked around. There were too many powerful ninja around. There was no way he'd be able to get to the main support now. Shibatora smiled. There were still many people here, along with several high ranking ninja, including the general of the military and the Hokage's wife. It wouldn't be a total loss if he did it here. Shibatora raised his hands and began making hand seals. Inoichi, unable to stop himself began to mimick the same seals as his captor.

"Shit!" Shikamaru yelled. "He's going to detonate!"

Moegi reacted instantly, swinging her kunai at Shibatora's face. Caught off guard, Shibatora stepped back just in time as the blade only sliced him across his cheek. The pain caused him to lose concentration and release the chakra strings. Inoichi slumped to the ground in a pained heap as Shibatora clutched his face. He instinctively kicked out, striking Moegi in the chest knocking her back.

Everyone closed in hoping to subdue Shibatora and save Inoichi. But Shibatora was able to quickly recover and once again began making the hand seals; he quickly reconnected the chakra strings and forced Inoichi back to his feet. Inoichi screamed in pain causing everyone in the room to pause. "Dad!" Ino yelled as Sakura grabbed her and held her back.

"Everyone get back!" Shibatora yelled.

"Shibatora, am I right?" Sai asked as he carefully took a step closer. His hands were in the air and he made sure to keep his fingers apart. "Shibatora Akita. That's your name right?" Shibatora didn't answer as he carefully positioned himself behind Inoichi, using him as a shield. "I thought it was you. Do you know who I am?"

"S-Sai." Shibatora replied.

"Yes. So you remember me." Sai answered. "Good. I remember you. Then you know that, like you, I'm from ROOT. I made sure to keep an eye on you. All of you. To make sure you had what you needed. But you, you were one of the youngest to join. You were just a toddler. Like me. It was hard wasn't it? Having to live like that? No one can really understand."

Tears began to flow from Shibatora's eyes. "No. No they don't." He said. "None of them…none of them…can understand!"

"I know…" Sai replied as he took another step. "I do. I remember the loneliness. I remember the endless days in the dark rooms with no sun light. The beatings we would receive. I remember it all. I understand your anger."

"They left us down there!" Shibatora yelled angrily. His eyes were wild. "That damned Third Hokage! The Fifth! They knew what that Danzo and the others were doing! But they left us! And for what huh?! To keep the peace?! But what about us?!"

As Sai and Shibatora spoke, Inoichi struggled to keep conscious. His vision was blurred and he could taste metal in his mouth. Looking around he could see the tear streaked face of his daughter. She was frantically yelling at him as Sakura fought to hold her back. What was she saying? For the life of him he couldn't hear her. _Ah! She was always so high strung and passionate._ He thought. Just like her mother. He loved that about her. When she came to him and told her about her relationship with Neji those years ago, he could see that same passion in her eyes. He knew at that moment that what she felt for him was different than the long line of crushes she'd had in the past. This one was real.

Nothing proved that more than when Neji came to him for her hand in marriage shortly after the end of the war. Within a year his little girl was married. Soon after, his little girl had a little girl of her own. _Ah! When did I get so old? I remember when I used to tuck her in at night. And when she'd come to me to take care of cuts on her knees. Now it was no longer my job to look after her. Now it was Neji's. But even so…_

"Yeah, I get it." Sai replied as he took another step closer. "The ones who came before made a lot of mistakes. To be honest, I haven't fully forgiven them either. But these people…that man you have there…are innocent. This isn't the way."

Shibatora chuckled. "Easy for you to say. You became the Hokage's pet. Your girlfriend is the leader of Hyuga. No one even knows who you are or where you came from! You don't have to live your life always under suspicion! You got the chance to get out!"

"It doesn't have to be this way." Sai replied as he took another step. "What happens next is your choice."

Shibatora stopped crying and glared at Sai. "Yes." Shibatora replied. "It is my choice. And I choose make sure that you people aren't allowed to forget your past with a few smiles and apologies!" Shibatora immediately made the next seal and was about to make the last one when, to his amazement, Inoichi leapt at him and grabbed both of his arms. "Shit! Get off me old man!" _He broke free of my chakra strings?!_ He thought. _They must have weakened while that Sai distracted me!_

Sai immediately grabbed Shibatora's arms and pinned him to the wall. "It's over Shibatora!" Sai yelled.

"Is it?" Shibatora asked with a wry smile.

"No!" Inoichi suddenly yelled as he pushed Sai off of Shibatora.

"What are you..?!" Sai yelled in confusion as he crashed to the floor.

Everyone was confused. Everyone except Shikamaru who immediately realized what was going on. "Everyone get back!" He yelled. His eyes were widened, he could feel himself drenched in a cold sweat. Sai, hadn't noticed it. No one did, except for Inoichi. Shibatora, that last seal, wasn't to detonate but to start a count down. He'd turned them both into time bombs.

Inoichi immediately grabbed Shibatora to prevent him from running any closer to his daughter, Sakura or any further into the building. Blood poured profusely from his wounds. Everyone could see this was taking the last of his strength. "Sh-Shikamaru! You…you know what to do!" He yelled.

Yes. Shikamaru indeed knew what he should do in such a situation. Smother the explosion. But that would mean…

"Shikamaru!" Inoichi yelled; almost pleaded.

"No!" Ino screamed as she tore herself out of Sakura's grasp and ran towards her father.

"Ino! Don't get any closer!" Sakura yelled in vain as she chased after her panicked friend

Shit! Shikamaru thought as he quickly tried to come up with any other way. But with Ino now closing in he knew he had none.

"Shikamaru don't do it!" Sai yelled as he got to his feet and tried to pry Inoichi off of Shibatora. "We can save them! We can save them both!"

But Shikamaru knew that was not true. In that brief moment, things around him seemed to slow down as he saw Sai, Inoichi and Shibatora struggle. Ino frantically ran across the room trying to get to her father. Sakura was just behind her. In a few moments they'd all be in the blast radius. He could hear Inoichi desperately calling his name; pleading for him to do what he must while both Sai and Ino yelled for him to give them time. But Shikamaru could see the wounds on Inoichi and the markings on Shibatora begin to glow. They were out of time. "Wh-What do I do?" He asked to himself. "I-I don't know…"

"Shikamaru!" Inoichi yelled in one final act of desperation. "Protect my king!"

_Protect my king!_ Those words reverberated within Shikamaru like cannon fire. He could immediately feel himself fill with grim determination. "I understand." He said as he quickly made several hand seals. His shadow immediately shot forth and wrapped itself around Sai and yanked him away. Another shadow intercepted Ino and knocked her back.

With tears in her eyes Ino looked to Shikamaru as she knew what he was about to do. "Shikamaru! Please!" She pleaded. But Shikamaru had made up his mind. With a silent command the shadows encircled both Shibatora and Inoichi who were still struggling for dominance. As the shadow rose to cover them in a dome Inoichi smiled at Shikamaru. "Thank you." He then turned to Ino. "Ino…I…" was all he could say before he was covered in shadow.

"Dad!" Ino yelled as she scrambled to her feet. As she did, a massive explosion within the dome shook the ground as though it were an earthquake. Shikamaru grunted under the pressure of keeping the explosion contained.

A moment later, the noise died away. Everything was still. Ino slowly staggered to the dome and placed her hand on it. As the dome faded away the stench of burnt flesh engulfed the room. As the smoke died Ino could see the remains of the two men that had been reduced to indistinguishable husks of ash. All the clothes and flesh had been burnt away. Ino collapsed to her knees and cried pitifully over the body of her father. Shikamaru walked over to her and fell to his knees by her side. Seeing him, she punched him his face. "We could have saved him! You could have saved them!" Again she punched him and then once more. Each time he took the blow. Blood trickled from his lip and nose.

Shikamaru grabbed her and hugged her as she cried. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Sakura walked over and saw the burnt corpses. She looked to her two friends who both remained on their knees. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why…why is this happening? How did this happen?" She then looked to Sai who stood with his back away from the gruesome scene and his forehead against a wall. He gritted his teeth and punched the wall, cursing himself for his failure. Sakura walked up to him and pulled him to face her. "Sai! Tell me what the hell's happening?! Tell me everything!"

_******Meanwhile******_

"Ah!" Kabumaru said. "It appears that your people were able to stop it. Good for them" Kabumaru glared at Naruto. "Naruto, before I go I should warn you, that you will have to make choices. They will be hard, unfair and even impossible. But I have faith that you will make them."

Naruto shook with rage now. A tear single tear rolled down his cheek that signified the torrent of pure anger that he fought to quell within himself. "Why are you doing this?" He said in a low whisper. His voice cracked as he stared daggers at the smiling Kabumaru.

Kabumaru laughed as he slid back his seat and stood up. "This is going to be a lot of fun."

Kabumaru turned and walked to the door when Naruto spoke up. "What makes you think I'll let you walk out of here?"

"Hmm, do you wish to risk a fight?" Kabumaru asked as he walked to the door. "You do know what would happen to the surrounding village right?"

"Maybe so." Naruto replied. "But even you should know that the second you step foot outside the village…"

"You'll attack me without mercy?" Kabumaru replied. He chuckled and then continued. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I'm well aware that. It's quite troublesome actually as I'm not ready for a confrontation just yet."

"You think I give a damn about that?!" Naruto yelled.

"Calm down Naruto-kun." Kabumaru replied as he looked back at Naruto with a venomous, murderous glare. "Now, you could attack me as you say. But let's see how resolved you are to that, shall we." Kabumaru made several hand seals while at the same time, within a fraction of a second, Naruto appeared behind him with a kunai blade at his throat. Glancing back at Naruto, Kabumaru said with a smile, "Time to make another decision, Naruto-kun. You can either fight me, kill me even and put a stop to all this and save countless people. Or…"

Immediately a puff of white smoke appeared behind them and Naruto could hear something heavy fall onto the large oak desk. Glancing back, his jaw fell slack as he saw the bloody body lying in a heap. "N-No…it can't…it can't be." He said as the kunai he held at Kabumaru's neck slipped out of his hand and hit the ground with a metallic clang. Tears welled in Naruto's eyes as he saw the familiar blood stained face before him. "Iruka!" He screamed as he ran to his fallen mentor.

Kabumaru chuckled as he covered his head with his hood. "Poor choice." He said to himself as he shook his head disapprovingly before walking out of the room.

Iruka coughed up blood as he gasped for air. His face was misshapen by the deep bruises and cuts. His clothes lay torn and his shirt was ripped open revealing the deep welts and cuts that covered his body. Naruto quickly tried to calm himself and assess the situation. He could tell at a glance that both Iruaka's legs and arms had been broken. Large chucks of flesh had been cut off from Iruka's stomach, chest and legs, like you would cut meat from a cooked pig.

"Iruka! Iruka!" Naruto yelled frantically as he climbed up on the table and scooped Iruka in his arms. "Someone! Anyone! Help!" Two guards came running into the room and came to an immediate halt as they saw the scene for them. Both gasped in horror. "Send for medics now! Find my wife!" Naruto commanded.

"Yes my lord!" One of the ninja yelled as they both ran out of the room.

"Iruka." Naruto said as he stroked his friends' face. Iruka's eyes, though swollen, would open slightly at the sound of Naruto's voice. They were glassy and darkened as death slowly seamed to creep upon him. There was a bit of blood pooled in the corners of them. "No, no, no!" Naruto said as Iruka's eyes' would open and close. "Stay with me, okay! Stay with me! You can't…you can't die. Please."

Iruka suddenly looked up, his eyes seemed to brighten as though full of vitality and vigor. His mouth opened as he made a gurgling noise. "Don't talk." Naruto said. "Don't try to say anything. Just…just save your strength."

Iruka clutched at Naruto's arm as he struggled to speak. Naruto grasped Iruka by the hand. He was amazed at how strong Iruka's grip was. As Iruka tried to speak, it shook Naruto how his voice did not have the familiar, happy tone Naruto had come to know after all these years. Iruka's voice now sounded dry and weak. It quavered and had a low guttural sound that made it obvious that Iruka was drowning in his own blood. "P…P…Proud." He stammered. "P…proud of you." Iruka took a deep breath and swallowed hard before he could continue. "I didn't tell him…I didn't tell him…anything. Didn't…tell him…anything. I…didn't…" Iruka's voice faded as his grip loosened. His head slowly listed to the side. All the vitality he had suddenly shown waned. The brightness in his eyes dimmed. Blood dripped from his open mouth.

"I-Iruka?" Naruto asked. He didn't answer. Naruto could feel his hand shaking as he slowly placed his fingers on Iruka's neck. No pulse. Naruto quickly laid Iruka flat on his back and pinched his nose. He then placed his mouth over Iruka's to create a seal. Naruto then took a deep breath and blew into him. After three breaths he put his hands, one over the other, on his chest. To his surprise, as he tried to perform CPR, Naruto found himself bathed in blood that gushed from four pin-sized holes in Iruka's chest.

Naruto recoiled in horror as he made a startling realization. Kabumaru and pierced each of Iruka lungs. It was enough for him to drown in his own blood and ensure that CPR was impossible.

Naruto looked down at the pale face of his oldest friend, mentor and brother. A face that was once vibrant and full of life not remained still and dark. Naruto closed his eyes and began to cry pitifully as he hugged his fallen friend. No…his brother. He wasn't sure how long he was there. But when he finally looked up he saw three medics who stood in the doorway. Their faces showed that they knew they were too late. Naruto looked at Iruka's face and gently closed his eyes.

It was then he looked at his blood stained hands, arms and legs. Blood was everywhere. The table was drenched. He was drenched. He could taste it on his lips. Smell it in the air. Iruka's blood. Gently Naruto lowered his friend with a reverence that bordered on worship. Silently, he climbed down off of the table. He looked at the medics who stood speechless. No words could come to Naruto now. He could not fathom revenge or hate or even sorrow. He couldn't think. He couldn't breath. He slowly walked out to the balcony where the smoke from the fallen building choked the sky. He could hear the sounds of panic and crying emanating from the streets below. He could hear the alarms coming from the hospital in the distance.

But it all meant nothing to him right now. Right now there was nothing. No sound. No words. Just the noise within him that was growing. A noise that was consuming him as it demanded to be let out. Naruto looked at his blood stained arms and clothes. His hands shook as though he were standing naked in the snow. He grasped the metal railing and squeezed so tight it began to bend under his strength. No sound. No words. Just the noise. Noise that needed to be released. Naruto clenched his teeth as the tears again began to flow. No sound. No words. Just the noise, building to a crescendo. Noise that could no longer be contained. And so, he screamed. Naruto screamed as loudly and as deeply as he could. His grief would travel the world on the very winds, through the clouds and up to the heavens. Unbridled and unchecked, he screamed and screamed and screamed.

End of Chapter Seven

Next Chapter: Illumination


	8. Illumination

**INTRODUCTION**

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always, I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

**THANK YOU**

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: 25BAM50; Maria; imsabbel; Duesal10; Killer of thy Cookies; Isuzu Hime; BigPac09; airnaruto45; pwns1993; The Tailed Titan 72; Pip-Doodlely-Doo; don't worrie bout it.

**RESPONCES**

**25BAM50** - Yes. But it'll get better. Then worse. Then I'll have some cookies and milk. And then...poop. Lol! Anyway, I know it was a tough chapter. But it was necessary. You'll see.

**Maria** - Lol! Well, I'm glad that my chapter could invoke such emotion. But fear not. That was the last of it...for now. Lol!

**imsabbel** - Well, tell me how you really feel! Lol! Okay so here's the deal. There are certain times when an author can't take the time to explain away every plot hole you believe you have found. Because that leads to over exposition which can slow the story. I tried, in my description to convey the shock that Ino was experiencing at that time, seeing her father in such condition. That can lead a person to not be able to think straight or act rationally. That was actually what I was trying to convey.

You call my Naruto "incompetent" when I clearly showed that he was stuck. He could have fought Kabumaru. Kabumaru even acknowledged that Naruto would probably even win. But how many would be killed/injured in the process? So it wasn't a case of Kabumaru being overpowered or Naruto being incompetent. They were, in reality, keeping each other in check.

Well, that's that I guess. I hope you find enjoyment in future chapters.

**Duesal10** - Konoha was powerless because they were caught off guard. It's no different than when Pain attacked in the canon manga. If not for Naruto they would have been wiped off the map. And yes, I have no fear in killing off likeable characters. But I'm not doing it just to do it or for shock value. It's all part of the plan. So please bear with it.

**Killer of thy Cookies** - Lol! Well, I can say that this chapter has no killing in it. So you can rest easy.

**Isuzu Hime** - Your welcome and thank you.

**BigPac09** - Thank you for the praise BP. Really. Lol! The scene with Inoichi's final death was one I wrote, erased an wrote again several times before I was satisfied. It was something where I really wanted to convey the different emotions that every party was experiencing. Kabumaru is a character who is a mix of several villains I've known and loved over the years. Yes, he's cool and calm but you can also sense a bubbling cauldron under the surface. It's clear that he is also very unhinged.

So you liked that ending huh? That, believe it or not, was the product of a last minute re-write. What I had before just didn't seem to capture what was going on in Naruto's mind at that moment. I'm really happy with it.

**airnaruto45** - Yeah, I'm sure. Itachi's role in this story is over. He did all he could and helped save his little brother. It's time to allow him to rest in piece.

**pwns1993** - Thank you.

**The Tailed Titan 72** - Lol! I've been told that every once and a while. Thanks.

**Pip-Doodlely-Doo** - Thank you so much Pip. Hope you continue to enjoy.

**don't worrie bout it** - Tes. i'm sure Iruka's death was difficult. TBH, he wasn't originally the character I chose to kill off. But I decided against it for certain reasons. Let's just say, that character would have been earth shattering. And thank you for the birthday wishes! Lol!

**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**

**So it's my birthday!** Yippee! So this will be a special chapter for me. I hope you like it! **As a special birthday gift I'd like 15, no 20 reviews for this chapter!** C'mon! That's not too much to ask for right? Lol! Anyways, here is my latest chapter. **Please** leave a little **review** when done. Next week is a new chapter of **Seven Sins** as well as the season finale of **Blade of the Shinigami** which has been long overdue! Thanks and enjoy!

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Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter VIII: Illumination

Sakura sat solemnly in her whicker chair on the balcony of her home. The breeze was warm as she stared at the sunset. The sky was illuminated in a blaze of yellow and orange hues that burned the horizon. A flock of geese honked as they flew across the sky. The peace and tranquility she saw within the clouds was a stark contrast she felt within her heart.

It had been years since Sakura had experienced such a heart wrenching day. Her eyes were still reddened and puffy with tears. Despite her best efforts the memories of the day kept replaying in her mind like a broken record. The worst of it was Ino. Seeing her cry so pitifully as she clutched the burned remains of her father, was too much to bear.

As she tried in vein to console her grieving friend, Sakura also listened intently as Sai told her of what was taking place at the Hokage mansion. Realizing she needed to be at her husband's side, she left Ino with Moegi and Shikamaru as she and Sai rushed back home.

But by the time she arrived she was too late. Kabumaru was gone. To her astonishment, Iruka's dead, mutilated body lay sprawled out on the desk and Naruto stood screaming and violently jerking the railing on the balcony. She immediately went to Naruto side and screamed his name. Naruto didn't respond. So lost was he in grief, frustration and rage, he couldn't see anyone and couldn't hear anything.

Desperate to calm him down, Sakura grabbed Naruto and forcefully made him face her. She then grabbed both sides of his head and calmly called his name while forcing him to look into her eyes. Despite the raging emotions within her, her voice was soothing and calming.

Naruto could hear her calling out to him. He could see her gaze pleading with him to calm down. She needed him now and that was enough to calm him. Naruto stopped screaming, his expression went from a blinding rage to the depth to sorrow as he slumped to his knees. She fell with him. "I couldn't stop him." He said as he buried his head in her shoulder. "He was right there. He…He was right there. But I…I couldn't stop him. I…I couldn't stop him…I couldn't…Oh God Sakura…Iruka…he's…he's…"

Hours passed since then. Sakura heard the rest of the story from Naruto and much of it made her blood run cold. Desperate to take her mind off of it, she returned to the hospital and threw herself into her work dealing with all of the wounded people.

But now, hours later as she sat in her room, there was nothing between her and the memories. Sakura heard the front door slam in the other room and despite herself it made her jump. She hated herself for the weakness despite no one seeing it.

Naruto walked into the room. He walked as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he was close to breaking under the pressure. "We were able to gather all of the remains." Sakura said as she looked out towards the sky. "As of right now our total casualties are at one hundred and three."

Naruto walked to the entrance of the balcony and stared out towards the horizon. "A hundred and three." He mumbled.

"Unfortunately, it appears Moreno Ibiki was also among the dead." Sakura continued. Her voice cracked as she talked. "With him and Inoichi gone…"

"It leaves our Counter Intelligence Division in shambles," Naruto jumped in as he rubbed his forehead. "That's what Kabumaru was targeting. It'll take time for us to get that division up and running again. Who knows what he'll be up to while that happens." Naruto took a deep breath and turned to face his wife. It broke his heart to see her this way; curled up like a frightened child.

He took off his coat and draped it over a nearby chair before walking over to the bed. He climbed in and sat behind her, and hugged her tight to him. "He was in here." She said as she hugged herself. "He was in here watching us. He could've…he…"

"I know," Naruto replied. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Sakura began to cry as she pushed herself into Naruto's embrace. As she did so, she ran her hand over her stomach. "We're not even safe in our own home. That's what he was trying to tell us."

Naruto placed his hand under Sakura's chin and moved her face so she could look into his eyes. "You are always safe when you're by my side. I promise you that." Sakura smiled and buried her head into Naruto's neck as he stroked her hair. "I promise you that."

Just then they heard knocking at the front door. Naruto got up and walked out into the living room. "Who is it?"

"It's Shikamaru."

Naruto opened the door and saw his solemn friend. "Sorry to bother you, I know you've had a long day." Shikamaru said. "But there are a few things about the meeting with Kabumaru I think we need to go over while they're still fresh in our minds."

At that moment Sakura entered the room. "Hello Shikamaru."

"Hello Sakura," Shikamaru replied with a small courteous bow. "I'm sorry to intrude…"

"It's fine." Sakura interrupted. "This is more important. How's Ino? I haven't seen her since Neji came to get her at the hospital."

"She's…as well as can be expected." Shikamaru answered as he sat in a nearby chair. "Neji took her to see her mother. With everything that's happened I think they need each other. He's with them both now along with their kids."

Sakura nodded. "May I offer you some tea?"

"No, thank you." Shikamaru replied. Sakura nodded in response and went off to the kitchen. She had no interest in hearing this story again. "Naruto, we need to go over things again. I can't help but feel like we're missing something."

"We've gone over everything a million times." Naruto said as he sat across from Shikamaru. "All that bastard was trying to do was buy time for his people and play with our heads."

"I'm not sure about that Naruto." Shikamaru countered. "He didn't have to buy time for his people. It's not like we knew what was about to happen. He didn't have to come there to stall. Besides there was something he said that was stuck in my head. He said he wanted you to see the world as he does; through the eyes of true shinobi. What the hell does that mean?"

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said, the ramblings of the insane."

"It means to see the unseen." Naruto and Shikamaru looked back to see Sakura standing in the doorway with a cup of tea in her hand. She walked over and sat next to Naruto. "To see with the eyes of a true shinobi is an old saying that really isn't used much. Except of course, by medical ninja. It'd make sense that Kabumaru would know it as a medical ninja himself. Lady Tsunade used to say it all the time when she taught me. Medical Ninja are trained to avoid direct combat. But if engaged, they have to be able to successfully dodge attacks so as not to be hurt themselves. But not all attacks can be dodged once you see them. Some attacks are so fast and powerful that by the time you see them it's too late. It's just like treating a wound or a virus. Not everything is a straight forward problem. So your only chance it to anticipate what's to come. To be able to see through a feint. To be one step ahead. To…"

"See the unseen." Shikamaru interrupted.

"Correct." Sakura answered.

Shikamaru got to his feet and began to pace back and forth. "To see the unseen is to see the world through a shinobi's eyes. It's to see a world of…misdirection. Do you happen to have a map of Konoha here?"

"Yes of course." Sakura said as she rose to her feet and walked over to a large, ornate desk made of polished cherry wood. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a large scroll and brought it back over and unfurled it on the coffee table. Shikamaru grabbed a pencil that was lying nearby and knelt before the map as Naruto and Sakura watched intently.

"May I?" Shikamaru asked as he motioned with his pencil. Sakura and Naruto nodded. Shikamaru immediately began to circle areas on the map. "Look at this." He said once finished. "All of these areas are where the escaped prisoners attacked. They hit every area except these two locations. This district to the south and this area where the hospital is located."

"But that's where that kid Yori tried to assassinate me.' Sakura responded.

"Exactly," Shikamaru continued. "They avoided that area so that Yori could make his move. That leaves this area to the south."

"But this district is nothing but gardens and a few temples." Naruto replied. "Maybe they just chose to avoid it because there was nothing to destroy."

"Misdirection remember?" Shikamaru asked. "We can't assume this is a coincidence."

"Fine." Naruto asked. "We'll send some men to check out the area. Anything else?"

"Yes, I'm also concerned about what Kabumaru said regarding learning your truth. He kept hammering that point over and over. He kept saying that knowing your truth is about understanding the two sides within you; darkness and light, good and evil, yin and yang. He was suggesting that you had somehow neglected half of yourself, your yin."

"Is he suggesting that Naruto needs to understand his dark side?" Sakura asked.

"No, I don't think it's that simple." Shikamaru answered. "Kabumaru seemed to equate a persons' truth with their heritage. He was asking you if you know your heritage."

Naruto took a deep breath. "What does my heritage have to do with anything? Why would he care about it?"

"I don't know." Shikamaru responded. "But I think I know who would. Lady Fifth."

"Granny?" Naruto asked. "Why her?"

"Think about it," Shikamaru continued. "Kabumaru said that to look to your predecessors for answers. And he uses a phrase that he knew only Medical Ninja's would be familiar with. That sounds like Lady Fifth to me."

"Alright then." Naruto said as he got to his feet. "You go and investigate that area. I'll head over to Granny's place and speak with her."Shikamaru nodded in agreement and got to his feet.

"I'm going with you." Sakura said to Naruto.

"You sure?" Naruto asked.

"I can't just sit around here all night." Sakura replied. "Besides, it's been a few days since I've seen Tsunade-sensei."

"Ok then, let's go." Naruto said.

"Hey Naruto." Shikamaru said as Naruto headed to the door. "About Iruka…" For a long moment Naruto simply stood in silence and stared at the door in front of him. "I know…I know how close the two of you were and I…I just wanted to say…"

"I know." Naruto said as he looked back at his friend. Despite the smile on Naruto's face, there were tears in his eyes. "It's alright, Shikamaru. Losing Iruka is like losing my older brother. But we need to focus on catching that bastard. I'll mourn for my brother later."

_******Sometime Later******_

The sun had set and stars dotted the sky as Naruto and Sakura entered Tsunade's compound. Despite it being dark, Naruto always marveled at the immaculately tended garden that was adorned with flowers and plants of all different colors and sizes. For years after her retirement Tsunade personally tended this garden. Unfortunately it'd been quite some time since she'd been able to handle it personally. As Naruto walked up the path he couldn't help recall that faithful day.

_******Konoha – Office of the Hokage – Six Months Ago******_

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto yelled happily as he stepped out from behind his desk to greet her as she entered the room. "What are you doing here?!"

"Do I need a reason to see you?" Tsunade asked with a smile as they hugged. As they separated Tsunade continued. "I was in the area visiting friends and decided to stop by."

"Well, it's great to see you." Naruto replied. "Here, let me get you some water."

"Nonsense!" Tsunade said. "I may be old but I can get my own water! You sit." Tsunade walked over to the small table where a pitcher and several glasses lay neatly. "So tell me boy, how have you been?" Tsunade grabbed a glass as Naruto began to breathlessly talk about the annoying paperwork and the constant meetings. Things Tsunade had known all too well and was glad to have left behind. As she picked up a glass, her hand began to tremble and the glass slipped from her hand crashing to the floor.

"What happened?!" Naruto yelled as he heard the glass shatter on the ground.

"Oh, dear." Tsunade said as she hid her trermbling hand out of Naruto's view. "That glass was a bit wet. I'm so sorry."

"No worries." Naruto said with a smile as he came over and began to clean things up. "Let me handle it. You're a guest after all."

Tsunade nodded as she walked to the chair in front of Naruto's desk. She held her hand and winced as she tried to calm her nerves as she sat. Naruto walked over and handed her a glass of water. And the two talked for nearly an hour about work and friends and times past.

_******Some Time Later******_

Naruto laughed as he got up from his chair and looked out the window. "I can't believe you remembered that?" he said.

Before she could answer Tsunade felt a sharp pain in her chest. As the pain died away she cleared her throat. "I should get going, Naruto. I't getting late."

"I understand.' Naruto said as he walked over to her. "Let me escort you home."

"No need!" Tsunade said with a smile as she waved him off. It took all she had to make sure Naruto did not see the pain she was in. ""I'll be fine on my own."

Tsunade walked towards the door as a sharp pain hit her once more. Unable to withstand it. She collapsed. Naruto looked to her in disbelief. "Granny!" He yelled as he ran to her. "Granny! What's wrong?! Granny! Granny!"

_******Some Time Later******_

Naruto nervously stood in the living room of Tsunade's compound. Rain pelted the window as the storm fell in torrents. Naruto looked outside at the bright red roses that bent under the power of the wind and rain. After Tsunade's collapse, Naruto had called for medics. They had arrived with Sakura who at the time was working her rounds at the hospital. Despite their insistence, Tsunade demanded that she be brought home and not the hospital. She did not want anyone to see her this way.

Naruto now stood in the anxiously awaiting news from her wife who was in the bedroom with Ino and others. Time passed achingly slow before the door to Tsunade's room opened and a visibly fatigued Sakura exited. She took a deep breath before she walked over to Naruto who could see the sadness in her eyes. "Well?" He asked.

"We've run every test in we know of." Sakura answered. "We can't seem to figure out what the problem is. All we know that it appears that her body is…aging faster than it should. Her cells aren't working as they should."

"So we have no idea?" Naruto asked.

"We do have one theory." Ino said as she entered the room. She first looked to Sakura to ensure it was okay to speak it. Sakura nodded. "As you know, Lady Tsunade was the first to learn and put into practice Creation Rebirth. It is a technique that forcibly hastens the regeneration of cells. But what makes it a forbidden jutsu is that by doing so it shortens your lifespan because cells can only regenerate a set number of times."

"So you think..?" Naruto asked.

"Yes.' Sakura answered. "We believe this is the long term side affect of using this technique. Her body is simply aging."

Naruto swallowed hard as the reality of their words hit him. He looked out the window at the rain soaked roses. "How long?" He asked.

"There's…no way we can tell." Sakura answered. "A month, a year, who knows. But…it will happen."

Naruto took another deep breath and embraced his wife. They remained silent for a long time before they parted and Naruto walked towards Tsunade's room. As he passed Ino, he put his hand on her shoulder. As he reached the door he took a deep breath a and put a smile on his face before entering the room.

_******Konoha – Now******_

Naruto sighed deeply as he tore his eyes from the red roses. The couple walked up to the door and knocked. A moment passed before the door opened and a chubby, middle aged nurse greeted them. "Ah!" The nurse exclaimed as she seemed instantly flustered. She quickly adjusted and dusted her clothes and tried in vain to neaten her wild hair. "Lord Hokage! Lady Sakura! I didn't know you would be stopping by. Forgive my appearance!"

"No need!" Sakura said with a smile as she waved. "We should have sent notice but we were in a bit of a hurry."

"Yeah! It's fine!" Naruto said. "Good evening Kana. Is Granny Tsunade awake?"

"Of course I am!" Tsunade said as she walked into the living room. "I'm not so old that I need to go to bed before eight." Tsuande, Sakura and Naruto met in the middle of the living room and hugged each other. As Naruto hugged Tsunade he couldn't help but notice how frail she felt in his arms; how delicate. Despite her best efforts Naruto could feel the difference in this once vibrant woman. "Now," Tsunade continued as she pulled back. "Come and sit. Kana, please bring us some tea." Once Kana left the room Tsunade looked to the couple. "Tell me what's going on."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Naruto was hesitant to tell Tsunade everything for fear of how she would react. He'd already known through the reports given to him by Shikamaru that they were able to keep the early morning attacks from reaching anywhere near this part of the village despite the best efforts of the escapees.

"Do you think me stupid boy?" Tsunade asked as she reached over and slapped him in the back of his head. "I know full well that we were attacked this morning. You're obviously here in relation to that event. Now, tell me what happened? Tell me everything."

_******Sometime Later******_

"My God." Tsunade whispered as she held her cinnamon tea in her hand. The glass clattered against the saucer as her hand shook lightly. It was something Sakura and Naruto took notice of. However Naruto wasn't sure if this was a reaction to the news she'd just been given or a symptom of her illness. "So we lost Ibiki, Inoichi and Iruka along with Kiba?"

"Not to mention nearly over half of the entire Guard Corp and twenty percent of the Intelligence Division." Sakura added.

"I'm assuming you've increased security and have instituted martial law to restrict civilian movement temporarily?" Tsunade asked.

"Security has been increased." Naruto answered. "However I plan to allow full civilian movement starting again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! That's too soon!" Tsunade argued as she placed her tea cup on the table. "You need time to fully inspect the areas that were attacked and ensure that there are no more sleeper cells. How can you do that if the entire villages' population is allowed to move about freely?"

"I admit it will make things a bit more problematic." Naruto responded. "But our people need to know that we will not become slaves to fear. They need to go about their lives and more importantly begin rebuilding their homes. Konoha is strong."

"We survived four wars and the damage Pain caused." Sakura added. "We can survive this."

Tsunade stared at Naruto and Sakura for a moment and then smiled as she looked at the steam that rose from her tea. "You two have really come a long way. I guess I should know better than to question you now."

"Thanks Tsunade-sama," Sakura replied with a smile.

"Yes," Naruto added. "But unfortunately that's not the only reason we stopped by. When I was speaking with Kabumaru he mentioned that I may not know everything there is to know about my history. For some reason this was very important to him."

"Your history?" Tsunade asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Or nothing at all. We're not sure." Naruto replied. "Is there anything you can think of about my past that I may not know?"

Tsunade took a moment to think things over. "No, I'm sorry. But you know everything there is to know of value. You're the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze. To save the village they sacrificed their lives to seal the Kyubi inside you. The Uzumaki clan was an ancient and prestigious clan respected and feared for their ability with Fūinjutsu and water style techniques. They were noted for having incredible longevity and life force."

"Yes, but what about the Namikaze clan?" Sakura asked.

"The Namikaze?" Tsunade asked. "There really isn't much to say. They were a small clan of mostly unremarkable ninja. You're father, and you yourself are the only ones to truly stand out among them."

"And there is nothing else?" Naruto asked. Tsunade nodded as she took up her cup and sipped her tea.

Sakura sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to hope Shikamaru can find something in the old garden district."

Tsunade immediately stopped drinking her tea. "Old Garden District? Why is he looking around there?"

"Kabumaru instructed the prisoners to attack every location in Konoha." Naruto answered. "They tried to attack this district but were held back. Two districts however were left untouched. The first was the location where the hospital is. We now know it was so that one of Kabumaru's sleeper agents could try and assassinate Sakura. But the other is an odd one. It's the old garden district to the south."

The cup in Tsunade's hand began to rattle audibly now as her face seemed to grow slightly more pallid. Even her breathing seemed to become erratic as she quickly put down her tea cup and got to her feet. She walked over to her fireplace and stared into the roaring fire as Naruto continued to speak. "It's a long shot but some of the things Kabumaru said indicated that we're not seeing everything. He even said we needed to see the world as he does; with a shinobi's eyes."

Tsunade gasped. "Is…that what he said? Is that exactly what he said?"

"Hmm, yes." Naruto confirmed. "Right now I've sent Shikamaru to gather some men and scour the area for clues…"

"No! You must not!" Tsunade suddenly yelled which alarmed Naruto and Sakura. Tsunade was now sweating; her breathing was becoming shallow and even more erratic as her mind raced. "Tell me Naruto, did Kabumaru mention finding anything when he was captured by Danzo?"

"Well nothing specifically." Naruto replied. "But he did say that he allowed himself to be captured so that he could find something Danzo had."

"Damn it!" Tsunade yelled. _Could that old fool have been so arrogant that he would leave that information laying about?! _She thought. _Was he really that over confident?!_ Tsunade's breathing became even more erratic as she suddenly clutched her chest and grimaced in pain.

"Granny!" Naruto yelled as jumped to his feet.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura yelled as she leapt across the room and grabbed her former master. At that moment the nurse, hearing the commotion, ran into the room. Seeing her, Sakura commanded, "Kana, bring Tsunade-sama's medicine!"

"Right away!" Kana yelled as she ran off.

"Come," Sakura whispered as she helped Tsunade to the couch. Tsunade slumped in the seat. She was pale and drenched in sweat. "You over exerted yourself." Sakura said.

"N-Naruto," Tsunade stuttered as she clutched at his sleeve. "You must…you must stop Shikamaru and his men. Give them any excuse you wish…or none at all. But stop them."

"But I don't understand." Naruto replied.

"You…you will...you will." Tsunade answered. "And may you forgive me once you do. Listen carefully. Head to the northern garden in the district. It is the oldest garden there known as the Garden of Enlightenment."

Naruto immediately remembered the garden. He'd passed through there as a child but hadn't even been in the district in years. He never could understand why it had that name but he gasped as he remembered that the garden was known for being comprised of nothing but White Chrysanthemums.

"When you get there, follow the main path until you come across an old cypress tree." Tsunade continued. "To the right is an old dirt path. It'll take you to an old shrine. Go inside and and tell the priests there that you have come to pray behind the alter."

"But, why would I..?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it!" Tsunade screamed as she began to cough violently.

"Go ahead Naruto." Sakura said. Naruto looked at her. He was concerned about Tsunade and felt as though he should remain. "Just go, Kana and I can handle things here." Naruto knew she was right. He was no medic. Sitting here would only agitate Tsunade further. Naruto got to his feet and walked to the door just as Kana flew back into the room with a tray of medications. Naruto took one last look before opening the door and stepping out of the house.

_******Sometime Later******_

Naruto stood in front of a stone temple that had seen far better days. The temple was overgrown with plant life and the stone steps were cracked and faded. The ceiling, though whole, looked in desperate need of repair. There were no lights emanating from the windows and no sign of life. For a moment Naruto believed the temple abandoned until he looked down and saw several footprints leading to and from the temple. They weren't fresh. They appeared to be maybe a day old. Some one had visited here. Several people in fact. Although it appeared that no one was here now.

Naruto took a brief moment to calm his nerves as he stood under the cloudless sky. A cool breeze blew from the north as he looked up at the stars that peppered the heavens. Part of him was excited at what he could find. Part of him was terrified as well. There was something ominous in Tsunade's words and unsettling about the frightened look she had on her face_. What could she be so afraid of?_ Naruto thought. _Was there something she wasn't telling me? _

Naruto knew the only chance for answers lay within the old temple, so taking a deep breath he walked forward. As he reached the door, he peered into a nearby window. He could see no movement or light within. This didn't make sense. Based on what he could dig up about this temple, though there were few priests tending this place, it was still active. Why was it in such disrepair? And why was there no one here? It was night but it wasn't that late. It was uncommon for a temple to go without someone tending to it. As Naruto looked through the window he could smell a hint of a foul smell coming from inside. _What the hell is that?_ He wondered.

Naruto slowly opened the door and almost immediately the foul stench assaulted his senses. The odorous smell was thick and seemed to seep into his very skin as Naruto stepped into the temple. The moon light that shown through the windows highlighted the old benches and worn, stone statues that were scattered about. It also showed Naruto the source of the stench. Dead bodies. At least a dozen of them lay sprawled across the temple floor. They were each clothed in the red and tan robes of a priest. "Shit!" Naruto said as he walked further into the room.

Most of their eyes were open and vacant with their mouths hanging agape. Flies and bugs had already begun feasting on the bodies and there were deep bruises around most of their necks. Naruto held his nose as the smell of rotting flesh seemed to gain intensity nearly causing him to gag. He'd smelled this stench before of course. His mind suddenly flashed back to the mountains of dead that required burial after the Fourth War. But it was still not something he'd probably ever get used to. Nor did he ever want to.

Naruto carefully walked through the room ensuring not to disturb the bodies until he made it over to the ornate stone alter that stood on a raised platform. Lying against it was another priest. This one was older than the others, bald with thick bushy grey eyebrows. Naruto kneeled down and inspected the body. Unlike the others this one's chest was completely caved in. "What the hell could have done this to you?" As the moonlight fell on the old priests face, Naruto gasped. "Y-You're..!"

Tenzen Shiratora. Naruto recognized this old man. He was a priest who not only helped spearhead the rebuilding of Konoha's Orphanage but also its expansion. It was through his efforts that they were able to do so much for the children who lost their parents during the last war. Not to mention the children saved from ROOT.

"Why would someone kill you?" Naruto whispered as he closed the old man's eyes. He quickly bowed and said a silent prayer for the fallen monk before he rose to his feet. "Pray behind the alter, huh?" Naruto walked over to the alter and went around to the back. The alter was a large slab of pure white granite with ornate carvings around all four sides and smooth flat top.

Naruto sighed and dropped to his knees. He clasped his hands and bowed his head with his eyes closed. All was silent as Naruto remained in this position. All her could hear was the buzzing of nearby flies and chirping of crickets in the distance. Somewhere outside Naruto could hear a frog croak.

Moments passed before Naruto opened his left eye and looked around before closing it. He opened his right eye and looked around before closing it. Nothing happened. "Ahhh!" He screamed as he clutched at his hair. His voice echoed throughout the temple. "What the hell am I doing wrong!?"

Naruto banged his head against the alter in frustration. "Geez." He whispered. A moment later he opened his eyes and saw that near the top of the alter there were figures of men carved into it, wrapping all the way around. The men were all in odd positions. Some were on their knees with their hands up in front of their faces as if in fear. Others looked to be running away from something. Others still seemed to be on their knees pleading to the heavens. No matter which Naruto looked to there was one prevailing theme among them: Pain. Fear.

"This is pretty odd for something in a temple." Naruto whispered. Naruto inspected the figures when he noticed that between them there were two figures each on opposite sides of a symbol pulling it. The symbol was circle with a lemniscate in the center.

Naruto felt drawn to the symbol as it stood out from the rest of the markings. He also noticed that it seemed to be raised a bit further out than the rest of them as well. Naruto reached out and touched the symbol. He was surprised to find that it felt loose in his fingers. He pulled hit down slightly and he heard a click off to his right. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw a candle fixture on the far wall seem to droop down slightly.

Naruto quickly got to his feet and hurried over. He held on to the fixture and pulled it. Again he heard a barely audible click and right next to him a panel, about a foot in diameter, opened in the wall. Naruto looked in and saw a lever, covered in dust and spider webs. Reaching into the panel, Naruto pulled the lever and a second later she heard the loud grinding of stone on stone.

Naruto looked back to see the alter sliding back across the floor revealing a hidden underground chamber. "Well, that's not creepy at all." Naruto said sarcastically as he walked over and looked at the wooden steps that descended into the darkness. _Well I've come this far._ He thought as he took his first, cautious step onto the creaky staircase.

Naruto slowly descended into the darkened chamber and waited for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. From what he could tell the chamber wasn't very large and there didn't seem to be any doors of any kind. Naruto took a step and felt something hit his foot. Looking down, he saw the outline of what looked to be a torch. He reached down and picked it up and reached in his pouch for a lighter.

Naruto lit the torch up and was immediately amazed by what he saw as the light from the torch illuminated the room. The room was mostly bare with one old bench in the center. The walls however, were adorned with dozens of old paintings and tapestries. They all appeared to be very old and some were faded. Naruto walked closer to one wall, careful not to get too close for fear that the fire from his torch would catch them. Many of the portraits were of men and women. Some were smiling, others posing seriously, while others, much like the figures etched into the slab of stone upstairs, appeared to be cowering in fear. The one thing they had in common was they all wore clothes that had the same emblem on it. A lemniscate.

Naruto sighed as he stared at the portraits. He walked away and swept the torch about so he could scan the room further. That's when he saw another alter against the far wall. Naruto walked over and on the alter was a large box lined in red satin. In it was a single large scroll. Naruto looked at it for a moment, unsure if to pick it up. There also seemed to be an open area in the box big enough for another scroll of equal size. Naruto looked around the alter and the floor in the room but he saw no sign of the missing scroll.

He then noticed two large oil lamps sitting on either side of the box. Naruto immediately lit them with his torch then doused it and tossed it aside. He then reached for the scroll and looked over quickly. The scroll was large and was wrapped with a red ribbon with a seal that had been broken. The seal itself was gold and fashioned with a lemniscate inside a circle. Naruto opened the scroll and looked at the first few words that read:

"_All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. I did this… _

"…_And for that…we were cursed."_

Naruto's eyes widened, his jaw hung slack as he continued to read and within moments he found himself consumed by confusion and anger. Unable to stomach reading anymore, he wrapped up the scroll, blew out the lamps and stormed out of the room.

_******Sometime later******_

Kana ran to the front door as someone knocked forcefully. "Coming!" She yelled. "Who is..?" Kana paused when she saw a visibly upset Naruto standing in the doorway.

Uninterested in pleasantries, Naruto barged past the old nurse. "Where is she?" Naruto demanded.

"Sh-She's in her bedroom with My Lady." Kana nervously responded. She'd never seen the Hokage this upset up close before.

Naruto stormed off towards the bedroom which was closed. Not waiting, he opened the door and walked into the room. Tsunade was sitting up in her bed. Her legs were covered in the thick blankets. She was staring out the window sadly and didn't even bother to look to see who it was. She knew.

"Naruto?" Sakura said as she rose from the chair that was next to Tsunade's bed. Seeing the anger in his eyes as he walked straight to Tsunade, Sakura stepped in his way. "Naruto, what's wrong? What's going on? What did you find?"

"You should ask her that!" Naruto yelled as he raised the scroll up. He then tossed it at Tsunade's feet on the bed. "Explain this?! What is it?! Is it real!? Is it?!" Tsunade remained silent as she stared out the window. "Answer me woman! You at least owe me that much!"

"How many?" Tsunade asked. "How many scrolls did you find?"

"Just this one." Naruto replied.

Tsunade nodded as she heard his response and immediately tears began to flow. "Then I truly have no choice do I?" Tsunade asked almost of herself as she continued to look out the window. "Because I have failed you yet again. Just as I have failed you in every conceivable way. Did you know, that Jiraiya never truly forgave himself for your parents' death? He carried it like a cross on his shoulders. I should know. Because I carry it too. He always told me that it was one of his biggest regrets that because he was off trying to find Orochimaru that he wasn't here to help protect Minato in his time of crisis. Because that is what a sensei is supposed to do, right? He's supposed to protect his pupil. If Jiraiya had been here…if I…if I had been here."

Naruto and Sakura could see the tears flowing from Tsunade's eyes as she continued. "But I couldn't…I just…I just…" Tsunade took a deep pained breath. Her voice was heavy with sorrow. "So when Jiraiya finally had the chance to look out for you, he jumped at it. It was his way to make amends for his failure. And in truth, it was a way for me to make up for mine."

"And when he died," She continued. "I swore to myself that I'd do everything in my power to protect you. But I haven't." Tsunade finally looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you are as precious to me as anyone I have ever known in my life. You must believe that. And that's why I lied. That's why you have to understand, that I'd rather die that tell you what I have to tell you now. Naruto…I'm going to tell you the truth about you're family. I'm going to tell you the truth about the Namikaze."

End of Chapter Eight

**Next Time:** _Revelations_


	9. Revelations

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: 25BAM50; airnaruto25; happy everyday life; The Great Unknown89; Duesal; don't worrie bout it; Maria; The Tailed Titan 72; MyHikari; Isuzu Hime; Bigpac09; NaruSaku24; Killer of thy Cookies; jonathan; The last Demonic warrior; Tsuna97 & Barter23

_**RESPONCES**_

**25BAM50** - Thank you

**airnaruto45** - Maybe it will be. You never know! Lol!

**happy everyday life** - Thank you for always reading and reviewing! Lol!

**The Great Unknown89** - Thank you for reading and for the birthday wishes! Lol!

**Duesal10** - Well, here's the thing, it's been made quite clear that overuse of Creation Rebirth shortens the lifespan of the user. So it made sense to me that as time passed that the after effects of this would eventually be seen within Tsunade. But don't worry, it really isn't a major theme in this story.

I really think the key to having proper flow with conversations is to just read the dialogue out loud as though you were an actor playing a role. I find that by doing so you can pinpoint where you need to change something someone said to better improve the dialogue.

As for the "Curse"...No comment. Lol!

**don't worrie bout it** - Shikamaru. He was originally the one I was going to kill off. I changed my mind when I realized something in my story. I realized I needed him for another purpose and chose to re-write it. Lol!

**Maria** - Thank you Maria! As for you questions I wish I could answer but then if I did...there'd be no reason for you to read my story. Lol! So just keep reading. And yes, Tsunade is starting to show her age just a bit.

**The Tailed Titan 72** - Thank you very much Triple T!

**MyHikari** - Thank you for the birthday wishes. Naruto will deal with the priests in time. But for now he has bigger issues at hand. And Sakura will tell him. Hopefully before she has to deliver. Lol!

**Isuzu Hime** - Thank you for reading Isuzu-san! I know my cliffhangers can be a bit nerve-wracking but what can I say? I love em!

**Bigpac09** - ROFL! C'mon BP you should know I loves me some cliffhangers! Lol! And yes, if you haven't noticed Book IV has a different vibe than the previous 3.

As always I can count on you for a good theory as far as what may come in my work. Unfortunately I have to say that you're a bit off on this one. Lol!

**NaruSaku24** - Thank you!

**Killer of thy Cookies** - Thank you! I had a great birthday!

**The last Demonic Warrior** - Lol! I am humbled by your praise my friend. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy.

**Tsuna97** - Thank you!

**This is...BARTER23** - Thank you and Kabuto will rear his head once more in time.

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

God I am finding so difficult to get this last episode of Season 1 of Blade of the Shinigami done. I just want to get it just right and I can't for the life of me! It's driving me insane! Anyway, here is the latest chapter of Curse of the Namikaze. Hope you enjoy! Next week is a new chapter of Seven Sins!

* * *

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter IX: Revelations

_******Land of Fire – One Hundred Years Ago******_

"Impossible!" Madara scoffed as he glared at his long time enemy. "What you propose is nonsense. Why even bother wasting my time Hashirama?"

"Maybe so, but I think it is our best course of action." Hashirama replied. Hashirama sat in the darkened hall as he closely watched the four ninja that sat on the other side of the large wooden desk. For a brief moment he looked up to see the large Uchiha crest painted on the wall behind the four men in front of him. It loomed large in the room which he knew was meant to intimidate him by reminding him of just where he sat. It was a reminder that he found gaudy and unnecessary. Hashirama knew full well that he was sitting in the main meeting hall of the Uchiha Clan village. As a member of the Senju, it was quite possibly the most dangerous place for him to be in the world.

Hashirama's advisors thought he was mad when he proposed the plan. His brother Tobirama, who sat next to him now, thought it suicidal. Hashirama didn't care. He didn't become leader of the Senju by bowing to the whims of others. He wasn't afraid of bold action. And now, more than ever, he had to be just that.

Tobirama as usual, when it came to some of Hashirama's more non-traditional ideas, argued vehemently against it. "This would never work!" He said. "You can't bargain with animals!" But Hashirama disagreed. The stakes were too high and he had to try.

So when he told his brother that he was going to try anyway, Tobirama did not hesitate to offer to come with him despite Hashirama proposing to go alone. But as stubborn as Hashirama was, he was nothing compared to his little brother. Hashirama soon relented and so here they were, two brothers sitting in the middle of their most powerful enemies' village before the strongest members of the clan. _Insanity._ Hashirama thought. But these were indeed insane times.

"The fact of the matter Madara…" Hashirama continued. "…is that this constant war between our villages is preventing any chance for either side to grow and evolve and is completely unsustainable."

Madara laughed. "So that's what this is about. You hide the fact that your clan is dying out under the pretense of seeking peace? This isn't about cooperation. It's about survival."

"Don't be so cocky Madara." Hashirama answered. "We've both sustained heavy losses over our lifetime. More so in these last few years thanks to the evolution of both of our clans' abilities. We happen to know that the overall of numbers of the Uchiha Clan are at a record low." This caused the four Uchiha to grumble under their breaths. Hashirama had just uttered a harsh truth that they were clearly shocked and angered that he even knew. Nevertheless, Hashirama continued. "Madara, we were friends once no? We once spoke of bringing an end to these wars. We spoke of peace. We spoke of no longer forcing children to kill children. We spoke of boys no longer having to bury their brothers. Yet somewhere along the way we both were swept into the tornado of war. You and I have both presided over the graves of nearly an entire generation of our own. And that's why I'm here. I am here to broker peace between our two clans."

"You must be joking." Madara responded.

"Madara, I willingly chose to come into the very heart of your compound with no backup and resolute in the likelihood that my life and that of my only brother may be forfeit." Hashirama answered. "Believe me when I say that I am deadly serious."

"Why are you even trying to explain such complex ideologies to such a savage?" Tobirama commented. "All these people care about is furthering their war machine. Any concept of peace is lost on them." This caused the Uchiha sitting around Madara to bristle in anger. Madara held up his hand to silence them.

"Shut up Tobirama!" Hashirama scolded. "Talking like that isn't helping!"

"You have some nerve to insult a man while sitting in his home Senju Tobirama." Madara replied as he glared down at Hashirama's little brother. "You should be more mindful of your situation. A "savage" such as myself might take such a thing personally. He might just look upon the chance to kill the famed Tobirama and Hashirama Senju as an opportunity that his primitive brain couldn't ignore."

"Forgive my brother Madara." Hashimara replied with a smile. "He can be overly impetuous at times. However, he does have a point in that I believe you are passing up a great opportunity. By joining forces and ending this war between us we will have a chance to grow. We can finally attain the peace that we talked about so long go. We can achieve that which we once thought unattainable."

"Or perhaps you're more concerned that the losses you've suffered would make you susceptible to attack from even the lesser clans?" Izuna Uchiha, who sat to his brothers' right, responded. "If a few of the lesser clans banded together to strike what would you do then?"

"That would begin a war that would engulf all of the ninja world." Hashirama relied. "I'm no fool as to think that you wouldn't join them. Then we would have to gather our allies and respond in kind."

"Perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing." Izuna said.

"Indeed." Madara said. "We could finally put an end to our battles once and for all. Through war, we could finally attain peace. "

"But how many of our people would die?" Hashirama asked. "How many lives would you sacrifice for that? What does victory mean if the prize is merely a pile of rubble and an ocean of blood? Sacrificing lives and starting wars is not a path to peace."

"Some of the greatest empires are built on the ashes of those who came before Hashirama." Madara replied.

"You speak only of a cycle of pain. Of death and hatred that will not end." Hashirama answered. "Such a cycle can be broken. But only if we have the will. Allowing it to continue this way is folly."

Madara paused for a moment as he allowed those words to sink in. "Perhaps." He replied. "But only time will tell."

"Then perhaps you will see benefit in what I am about to say." Hashirama replied.

"Hashirama don't!" Tobirama yelled as he knew what his brother was about to do. "The elders strictly forbade you to speak of that without a commitment from the Uchiha!"

"Last I checked I was the chief of the Senju, Tobirama!" Hashirama replied harshly. "And if sharing this information now leads to peace then to hell with the opinions of the elders!"

"Why must you be so damned reckless?!" Tobirama asked, almost to himself, knowing his brother wouldn't give him any answer that would satisfy him.

"What could you possibly offer that could change our minds on this matter?" Madara asked.

Hashirama took a deep breath as the weight of what he was about to say required that everyone in the room be mentally prepared for it. "Three weeks ago we were approached by a group of people seeking asylum. There are close to fifty of them in number. But they consist mostly of older men and women with only a handful of children. They claim to be the last of their clan. They claim to be the last of the Namikaze."

"The first clan?!" Madara asked before he burst into laughter which spurred the mocking laughter of the other Uchiha in the room.. "A pathetic bluff. Everyone knows they died off years ago."

"That's what we thought as well." Hashirama replied. "Until this small group arrived at our doorstep begging for protection. They'd been in hiding for years and realized they were no longer strong enough to be self sufficient. They came to us seeking refuge knowing that it would be only a matter of time before they were discovered."

"And they've proven that they are indeed Namikaze?" Izuna asked.

"Of course." Hashirama responded. "We conducted every possible test and exhausted every resource in researching them. We believe them to be the real thing. Now you see the issue. When word gets out, every clan, big or small, and every mercenary with dreams of glory and power, will be after them. We need to combine our efforts."

"And who's to say that now that we know this that we don't come after them ourselves?" Madara asked.

"You see Hashirama!" Tobirama yelled as he slammed his fist on the table and leapt to his feet. "These barbarians can't see beyond the next fight. We're wasting our time."

"Shut up little brother!" Hashirama yelled. "Another word and I'll remove you from here myself!"

"Tch!" Tobirama uttered as he folded his arms and sunk back into his seat.

Hashirama again looked towards the faces in front of him. "To do so would bring us back to out initial problem wouldn't it?" He asked. "This war between us has gone on far too long Madara. It's time to look to the future. And this is our opportunity."

Madara stared at his long time rival. In all the years that he'd known him he'd never seen him in this way. He sat forward in his seat and smiled. "And if I decided to kill you now, and then storm your village to seize this power for my own?"

"Then, in an effort to survive, my people would have to use this new found power against those who came to them, looking for trouble." Hashirama answered. There was a sudden foreboding glint in his eyes as he said those words. "But this is unnecessary. Why sacrifice lives bickering over power when we can share it. Together. So it's time you ask yourself what's more important my old friend. Power? Or the best interests of your people?"

"What if power is in the best interest of the Uchiha?" Madara asked.

"Not if the cost is the rest of the world." Hashirama replied.

Madara glared at Hashirama harshly as his words echoed through his mind. "There may come a time when we'll have to see about that."

For a long while Madara sat in silence. "Madara!" One of the Uchiha elders yelled. "You can' possibly be listening to this trash?! This is clearly a lie! We should simply take them both and interrogate them!"

"I agree!" Another elder yelled. "This is the greatest opportunity we've ever had!" Just say the word Madara and we'll..!"

Madara suddenly raised his hand and everyone immediately went silent. His eyes remained fixated on Hashirama. "You're not lying…are you?" Hashirama remained silent as he kept his steellike gaze on his one time friend. A moment passed before Madara sighed and sat back in his seat. "Okay Hashirama, I'm listening."

_******Konoha – Now******_

"And that's really how it began." Tsunade said. "After this meeting and other subsequent negotiations, Hashirama Senju, my grandfather, was finally able to convince the Uchiha that merging was the best choice for both sides. And, as you know, once they had come to an understanding they were able to convince other smaller clans like the Nara and the Hyuga to join them as well."

"Wait, I don't understand." Sakura replied. "None of this regarding that first meeting was in any history book I ever read. There was never any mention of the Namikaze."

"It was omitted." Tsunade answered. "It was decided by the First Hokage to keep any mention of the Namikaze and their significance out of the history of Konoha, save for one scroll that was passed down to me."

"Significance? What significance?!" Naruto asked. "I still don't understand. Why was the Namikaze so important that they needed to be protected by the Senju? And what did they mean by calling us the first clan?"

"Naruto, how much time have you actually spent inside the Hokage archives?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto gave an awkward chuckle and looked away. The Hokage archives was a large library within the Hokage mansion where many old scrolls containing information that was labeled "for the eyes of the Hokage only" were stored. And Naruto, being someone with little interest in any of it, had never set foot inside. In fact, though he wouldn't admit it, he couldn't actually recall exactly where in the mansion this room was. "Oh! Right!" He exclaimed. "Yeah the…archives…I've spent some time there. I didn't really see anything that special though."

"You've never actually set foot in the place have you?" Sakura asked rhetorically as she looked at her husband disapprovingly. "I doubt you even know where it is."

"Hey! How did you know that?!" Naruto yelled.

"I know you." Sakura replied with a wry smile. "You and libraries are like arch nemeses! The only way you'd set foot in a library is if I told you a ramen shop opened inside."

"Tch!" Naruto replied as he folded his arms and looked away.

Tsunade chuckled a bit before she continued. "Well if you had then checked it out you would have found information on the Rikudō Sennin, the savior of our world and original Jinchuricki."

"Hm, what does he have to do with anything?" Naruto asked.

"Everything." Tsunade answered. "Tell me Naruto, what do you know of him?"

"Only what I learned from the myths and from Nagato." Naruto replied. "The Rikudō Sennin was a monk who lived centuries ago who supposedly created and mastered every known jutsu. He saved the world from the wrath of the Jyubi and was the first jinchuricki and was the father of two sons who were the original decedents of the Senju and the Uchiha clans."

Tsunade nodded. "But what do you know about his life? Or better yet, his deeds outside of the greater myths? You see, the Rikudō Sennin chose to travel the world and teach the ideals of ninjutsu in an effort to create peace." Sakura and Naruto sat in silence as they hung on Tsunade's every word. "According to the historical texts we have in our possession that survived from that time, the first people the Rikudō Sennin chose to teach the ways of ninjutsu, was yours Naruto. The reason the Namikaze Clan was called "The First Clan" was because yours was the first to be taught directly by that monk."

"Mine…was…the first?" Naruto stuttered as the words slowly sunk in.

Tsunade nodded. "According to every historical text we've seen." She confirmed. "Naruto, what you have there is a journal, written by several members of your clan over the course of centuries. It is a chronicle of their lives and struggle through their eyes." Naruto lifted the thick scroll to eye level and looked it over as Tsunade continued. "It even gives some insight into their demise. You see, there was a time when the Namikaze, as the first clan, was the most powerful and influential clan in the world. Even more so than the then fledgling Uchiha and Senju clans. Their numbers dwarfed any other. And their power was both the most revered and feared of all the clans."

"At the apex of their power, the Namikaze was the greatest clan of the ancient ninja world due to the breath and scope of their abilities. They were one of the few clans who were able to master all of the many jutsu's in one form or another. Every ninjutsu, taijutsu and even fūinjutsu, they had learned from the Rikudō Sennin and mastered. Every secret technique. Every technique that was considered forbidden. They knew them all in some form or fashion. And from what we know, it was their hubris that caused their downfall."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

""I don't know. I'm not really sure how it happened." Tsunade responded.

"No, I mean hubris. What does that word mean?" Naruto asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It means arrogance."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed. He thought it over for a moment and then looked to Tsunade. "What does that mean?"

"Like I said, we're not sure." Tsunade replied. "The scroll you have only references it as "their great arrogance" or "he who had sinned against the savior." From what historians who were allowed to look at the scrolls can gather, the Namikaze clan did something; some unspeakable act, which garnered the ire of the entire ninja world. So much so that not only were they persecuted to near extinction, but that their very existence was all but erased from history."

"So what do you think it is?" Sakura asked.

"Like I said…" Tsunade responded.

"You don't know." Sakura interrupted. Sakura then leaned forward in her chair. She steepled her fingers as she stared intently into her sensei's eyes. It reminded Tsunade of how Sakura would look at her when, as her disciple, she would listen intently after asking a question. It was if she wasn't merely listening to her words, but analyzing Tsunade's very body language. "Sensei," Sakura asked. "What do you think it is?"

Tsunade took a deep breath and looked out at the night sky. It was at times like this she wish the sun were up and she could see her garden. There was something calming about seeing the lush, vibrant colors. But all she could was her reflection. Her drawn face and tired eyes. _When did she become so old?_ She wondered. _How is it that life never seems to become much easier no matter how old and wise one becomes?_

"When I was a little girl I used to spend a lot of time running through the halls of the Hokage Mansion." Tsunade said. "Though I must admit the place wasn't as big then as it was now. But I would spend my days creeping into every nook and cranny of this place. One evening as I was skulking about I overheard a conversation my grandfather was having with Uchiha Madara the night before he left the village."

_-Konoha – Seventy Years Ago-_

_Grandpa will never find me here!_ Little Tsunade thought triumphantly as she hid in the crawl space inside the wall. Despite being so young, Tsunade had learned to hide quite well and loved to play hide and seek with her grandfather. And despite his busy schedule, he would always find her fairly easily. But not this time. When Tsunade had found this new crawl space, she knew she'd found a place where not even her grandfather could find her. This time she'll win for sure.

Just then she heard a pair of foot steps and a voice that was unmistakably her grandfathers. Tsunade hunkered down and smiled as she knew she'd get him this time. "…and I'm saying you're wrong!" Hashirama yelled as he entered the room followed by another pair of footsteps. Tsunade could tell he was mad. _Maybe this wasn't the best time to play ninja._ She thought.

"And I say this is an opportunity that shouldn't be passed up!" Tsunade instantly recognized the other voice. It was one she could never have mistaken as it caused a chill to run down her little spine every time she heard it. Uchiha Madara. His glare alone would always cause her to break out into a cold sweat. "I don't like that man." She would tell her grandpa.

He would smile. "Don't concern yourself with Madara." He'd say. "He's nicer than you think. He's like a big fluffy puppy when you get to know him." Tsunade would laugh as her grandpa made a face. But no matter how many times he'd tell her not to fear this man, she would. She would look into his harsh eyes and doubt there was anything "fluffy" about him.

"Madara, I know you mean well. But my mind is made up on this matter." Hashirama replied.

"I see." Madara replied. There was a long pause between the two men and Tsunade, despite where she was, could feel the tension between the two. "So is this your idea of democracy, Hashirama?"

"It's not like that Madara." Hashirama replied. "You know I value your input above almost anyone. But what you're proposing is madness. If other clans wish to join Konoha they should do so under their own will. Not under the threat of violence."

"Hashirama, things have changed!" Madara replied. "Clans from other lands are beginning to follow our model and are combining forces. One such village called Sunagakure has just sprouted up in the Land of Wind. If we don't expand we could find ourselves under-manned."

"But the idea of expansion by force is not what we stand for!" Hashirama said. "I did not form this village just to be a bully."

There was a brief pause between the two men before Madara spoke up. "You formed it? I thought this was a joint decision, my old friend?"

"You know what I mean, Madara." Hashirama answered.

"Yes." Madara answered. "Unfortunately I do. Do you think me a fool, Hashirama? You talk about co-operation but in the end it was you who was chosen to be Hokage. And currently there are no members of the Uchiha sitting in any seat of influence."

"I disagree." Hashirama replied. "Are you not my right hand man? Are you not my most trusted advisor?"

"And yet what does that afford me or my people?" Madara replied. "In the end it's your word that is law and final, is it not?" There was a brief silence as Madara's question hung in the air unanswered. "As I thought." Madara continued. "The truth is that in my people's haste to achieve peace we have forfeited our freedom and our pride."

"That is not true Madara!" Hashirama yelled. "I know things are not perfect. And it has been hard for the village to trust the Uchiha! But that is why I need your support! Together I know we can change the minds of the people! Together we can help them understand your righteousness and love that resides within your heart! And if and when the time has come for me to step down, surely the next Hokage will be y…"

"Tobirama most likely." Madara interrupted. "And when that happens the fate of the Uchiha will be sealed. I know this is hard for you Hashirama but even you must admit that your brother does not view us as you would like him. He never will. I see the way he looks at me when I enter the room. I see how he looks at others of my clan. I have heard some of the things he's said despite his best efforts to keep his prejudices private. When he is Hokage I will weep for the state of my people. Seeing this, I went to my clan this morning to order them to remove themselves from the village."

"You…you what?!" Hashirama yelled in shock.

"But they all rejected me." Madara replied. "So much so that they voted to remove me as clan leader. Hmph! Can you believe that? After all I've done for the sake of my people and they would discard me so easily? Now I am not even trusted by those I want to protect. I…have been betrayed."

"We can still fix this Madara." Hashirama implored. "Old bridges can always be repaired. Just stand at my side as my friend and brother. I swore to you once that I'd be your brother, did I not?. I stand by that. You have my loyalty."

"Words." Madara replied with a sudden contempt. "Empty words with no true conviction. You say I am your most trusted advisor but it is Tobirama's council that you usually follow. And you call me your brother but in the end, if forced to choose, which of us would you cut down?" Again there was a brief pause. "It's time we stop kidding ourselves Hashirama. You are a good man. No one knows that better than I. But it is clear to me that co-operation is nothing more than a silent struggle. One that I realize the Uchiha has already lost. By the time they realize this, it will be too late. But I refuse to sit idly by and watch this come to pass. I am leaving this village to follow my own path."

"Listen to me, Madara." Hashirama said. "If our friendship has ever meant anything to you, then I am begging you; I will beg on my knees if that's what it takes. Don't…do this."

"This world is nothing more than needless excess and pain, Hashirama." Madara answered. "My new dream will put an end to all that by force. Because of our friendship I give you this one warning: The power you seek to hide from the world within the First Clan will not stay in the shadows forever. I will make it mine. And on the path to realizing my dream, I will not hesitate to crush this village under my heal."

_-Konoha – Now-_

"That day, Uchiha Madara left Konoha." Tsunade said as she looked at Sakura and Naruto. "The next time I saw him was when he attacked the village. Which he would do repeatedly before my grandfather was forced to kill him. Or so we thought."

"Wait." Sakura replied. "Are you suggesting that the First hid the real reason why Madara left and why he would attack the village over and over? That the real reason was to find this "hidden power" that was related to the Namikaze?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. But mind you, I have no proof outside of this vague memory. According to texts I read, written by the Second, it is believed that the First Shinobi War, began after the other villages somehow learned of the existence of a "hidden treasure that could control the world." But even he wasn't sure of how they came to learn of its existence."

"Madara!" Sakura exclaimed.

Tsunade nodded. "Knowing now that he had survived his final battle with my grandfather, it is possible that it was he who influenced the start of that war by telling our enemies about the Namikaze. But nothing in my uncle's writings mentioned whether or not this power even existed or where it was."

"So what happened to the Namikaze?" Sakura asked.

"Time, along with war thinned their already small numbers." Tsunade answered. "Eventually, your father was all that was left."

"My…father…" Naruto finally said. He voice was low with a hint of rage. He glared at Tsunade in a way neither she nor Sakura had ever seen him look at her before. "Did my father…know about any of this?"

Tsunade took a deep breath before she shook her head. "From what I've read, my grandfather along with the elders of your clan chose to never tell the younger generations the truth about their past. In time, it was all forgotten. The only ones allowed to know even this much was whoever became Hokage."

"My father was the Hokage!" Naruto yelled as he gripped the arms of his chair so tight they could hear it creaking under the strain. His body was tense and Tsunade could see a rising rage in his eyes.

"Yes, he was." She said calmly. "But he was also a Namikaze. So, the Third, along with the elders chose to keep this from him for his own good."

"For his good or your own?!" Naruto yelled as he finally stood up. His anger boiled over. "You weren't doing this to protect us! You did this to protect yourselves! You were terrified of what we'd do if we knew the truth!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "You heard what Lady Tsunade said! This decision was made by the Third and the elders! She had nothing to do with it!" "No Sakura. He's right." Tsunade responded. "He's right to be angry. Though it was the Third's decision to not tell his father; the decision to not tell Naruto was my own. I didn't know all this until I became Hokage. But once I did, I chose to keep it from him. And if I were to be honest, then I'd say that if it were up to me, I'd take this knowledge to my grave rather than tell you now. Because I'm scared Naruto. I'm scared of what this truth is. And most of all, I'm scared of what you will do with it."

Naruto stood up and walked over to the window and for a brief time looked outside. "Do you remember our talk that night before the war?" He asked. "When you told me I needed to have trust in the people of this village? When you told me that instead of fighting for them I needed to inspire them to fight for themselves?

"Yes." Tsunade replied. "And I meant every word."

"How dare you." He responded as he turned to face her. "How dare you keep something like that from me and have the nerve to lecture me on trust."

"Naruto." Tsunade said. Her voice quivered as tears welled in her eyes. "Don't think that it was an easy decision to make. But I made it. And I don't regret it. Even now I don't. And in saying so, I know what this means."

"What does it mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means your hatred." She answered. "It means losing the trust of a dear friend. It means…" Tsunade stopped as she took a deep breath. Tears rolled down her cheek as she continued. "It means losing someone…who I have cherished and loved and treated as my own grandchild for so many years. But it is worth it. So that you know what you're up against. So that you know that what I did…I did to protect Konoha. Because that's my responsibility as Hokage." Tsunade said as she tapped her chest. "That was the burden I chose to bear when I took the mantle of Hokage. It meant making the hard decisions for the betterment of the people. So that's what I did. Because that is my duty."

Naruto stared at Tsunade for a moment. As he did, Sakura looked to him trying to glean what was on his mind. But his face was blank. All emotion had seemed to have been drained from him as he looked to the one woman who was so close to him over the years she might as well have been family.

Naruto walked over to his seat and picked up the thick scroll that leaned against it. "You're wrong Tsunade." Tsunade felt a pain in her heart as he heard him call her by her name. In all the years they'd know each other he'd never done so before. "It's not your job to do what's best for Konoha. It's mine. Goodbye, Lady Fifth." Naruto turned and walked out of the room.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she stood to go after him.

"It's alright, Sakura. Let him be for now. He has much to consider." Tsunade said. Sakura stopped as she heard the front door open and swiftly slam shut.

"Right." Sakura replied. "Just give him some time Tsunade-sensei. Naruto will calm down and he'll be fine."

"No Sakura." Tsunade said as she reached for a tissue and wiped her eyes. "He's not going to be fine this time. I betrayed him."

"You did what you thought was right." Sakura responded.

"Yes." Tsunade answered. "I did what was right for the village. But not for him. And that decision will haunt me the rest of my short life."

"Don't talk like that sensei." Sakura said. "You have a long life still ahead of you."

"That's not what's important now." Tsunade said. "Sakura, I need you to do something. You have to do what I couldn't now. I could see that look in his eyes. I don't know what he's going to do. But I know it will be reckless and dangerous. You have to protect him now Sakura. No matter what, you have to keep him safe."

Nearly an hour passed before Sakura stepped out of the room and gently closed the door. Tsunade was still worked up and she chose to stay by her former sensei's side until the sedatives she'd given her did their job. Kana, had been sitting patiently in the living room and rose to her feet as Sakura exited. "My Lady, is Lady Fifth alright?" She asked.

Sakura nodded. "She's resting now. Go check on her in a few hours."

"Of course." Kana replied as she turned to remove the cups and plates that sat on the coffee table. Sakura walked over to the window and for a while stared vacantly out into the void. "Are…you alright My Lady?" Kana asked. Sakura looked back at her. "I…I don't mean to intrude!" Kana yelled nervously. "It's just that I could hear yelling inside the room and I've never seen The Hokage look that way when he left. He seemed so angry."

Sakura took a deep breath and walked over to the elderly nurse. As she did so, Kana could feel her nerves growing. She was never really very good around important people. It took her nearly three months to be able to speak to Lady Tsunade without stuttering. No matter how much older she might have been, whenever she was around people of high standing she would be flustered; concerned that they were silently judging her. And there were few more important in the world than Namikaze Sakura.

Sakura walked up to the old woman and to her shock, embraced her in a long hug. "L-Lady…" Kana stuttered.

"You've always been by my sensei's side, taking wonderful care of her day or night." Sakura whispered. "I bet you've always been good at taking care of people. Sometimes I wonder if I'll be as capable."

Confused, Kana patted Sakura on her back twice. It was amazing how this young woman who always seemed so focused, driven and confident, suddenly felt so much like her own daughter. It was at that moment Kana remembered just how young this girl was. She isn't even twenty five yet. She thought as she held the girl. To think she has so much to carry on her shoulders. Kana felt surprisingly calm in Sakura's embrace. A smile appeared on her lips. "All you need to do is love." Kana replied. "Everything else will just, fall into place."

Sakura laughed as she pulled out of the hug. Kana could see tears welling in her eyes. "I could only hope it's that simple." Sakura replied. "Thank you Kana-chan, for everything."

Sakura turned and walked to the exit. Opening the door Sakura paused as she looked up at the ocean of stars that illuminated the night sky. Subconsciously, her hand touched her stomach and rubbed it gently. "If only it'll be so simple." She whispered as she walked out the door.

_End of Chapter IX_

Next Time: _Farewell_


	10. Farewell

_**INTRODUCTION**_

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

_**THANK YOU**_

A special thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter: 25BAM50; bankai777; Duesal10; airnaruto45; Maria; happy every life; The Tailed Titan 72; MyHikari; Isuzu Hime; RadioRegicide; Killer of they Cookies; Tsuna97; moneygreen932.

_**RESPONSES**_

**25BAM50** - Thank you. Well, I'm not sure if I would want Kishi's work to resemble my own as that would be a bit boring. Lol! But I thank you for the praise.

**bankai777** - Probably to follow your heart and forgive Lady Tsunade. Lol! At least that's what I would think they'd say.

**Duesal10** - Tsunade's fate is...well...umm...shhh! I can't say! As for the Namikaze, if I told you that would ruin the surprise. I'm glad you were able to capture the emotion I was trying to convey.

**airnaruto45** - Maybe. Maybe not.

**Maria** - Thank you Maria.

**happy everyday life** - Sakura will have her time to shine. And more information about the Namikaze will come soon.

**The Tailed Titan 72** - Thank you for the interest. And thank you for the praise.

**MyHikari** - Naruto can't see it that way. What he sees is that he was lied to. That his father was lied to. And he was lied to about his own family. It was one thing not to be told when he was still a child. But Naruto felt that he should have been trusted now that he was an adult and a Kage. Naruto just needs time, as you said. Glad to know you enjoyed the flashbacks. You'll see more of those as the story progresses.

**Isuzu Hime** - Thank you for reading and yes, I like to use some of the canon material to frame my work as I want this alternate story to feel as though it feels close to canon.

**RadioRegicide** - I will say that this story has been inspired by several movies. Lol! TDKR being just one of them. The History of Konoha ties heavily into this story. So there may be moments where Hashirama and Madara may be brought to light again.

I think people (myself included) love to make the Namikaze something more that what we've seen in canon because we know so very little about them. It really is fertile ground for fanfic authors to mine. And though I'm not too familiar with what others write, I can only hope that my work brings something new to the table. Only time will tell.

Kabuto is performing in such a grandiose manner because he is a man who wants people to recognize his genius. He is a mad artist. The world is his canvass and all the people in it, his patrons. Lol!

Thank you for enjoying my work so far and I hope the "issues" you have with it will be cleared up in time.

**Killer of thy Cookies** - Don't let a name fool you. *hint* *hint* Lol! Thank you for reading!

**Tsuna97** - Thank you for being a fan Tsuna. I hope my work continues to put a smile on your face. And hey, I didn't see you mention Seven Sins. Check that out if you have time.

**moneygreen932** - I hope so to. I wish I could tell you if that will indeed happen, but alas. I am a vault when it comes to info! Lol!

_**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**_

Ok so as many of you noticed this chapter is a week late. For those who have been reading my Seven sins you already know the reason is that my hard drive crashed on me a couple weeks back taking all my unreleased work with it. As a result, instead of having 5 - 6 chapters already written where I just need to proof read and release I'm now forced to write and release as I go. I was actually up until 5AM getting this one done.

Which means my releases may or may not be coming out on time for the foreseeable future. Not just that but my unreleased stories (yes, that includes Seniors) are now up in the air as I literally have to start all over. It's been a trying couple of weeks and I've learned the importance of having a backup hard drive.

Anyway, **please** leave a little **review** when done. The next release will be new chapter of Seven Sins. Hopefully I can have it out by next Sunday. Lol! We'll see. Thanks for your patience.

* * *

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

**Chapter X: Farewell**

The boy took a deep, painful breath and groaned. Everything was darkness as he felt as though he was floating in an endless void. He felt heavy, yet weightless, burdened, yet relieved. _Am I dead? _He thought. But he knew the answer before he'd even finished the question. No. He wasn't dead. He was in too much pain to be dead. Death, couldn't possibly feel this bad.

The boy opened his eyes for what seemed like the first time. The glaring brightness of the lights overhead was blinding. He felt like a newborn seeing the bright world for the first time. Again he groaned and he could feel pain course throughout his entire body. It took a few tries but after a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the light. The boy tried to move but every bone in his body hurt and what didn't hurt felt as though it were weighed down with sand. Moving was not an option. "Hey."

The boy looked to his left and saw a familiar face, smiling at him. "Looks like you're finally coming around." The person said. The boy tried to talk but found his throat incredibly dry. "Hold on." The person said as he signaled a nearby nurse who immediately walked over with a pitcher of water and poured a glass. The person held it to the boys' lips and he took several, nourishing sips. The water was refreshing and rejuvenating. "My wife said that she added a special enzyme in this water that should help with the healing process." The man said with a laugh. "She's pretty incredible, that lady."

The boy drank as much as he could and then inhaled deeply before speaking. "Hokage-san…"

Naruto smiled as he handed the glass back to the nurse. "Thank you." He said to her as she shuffled out of the room. Once she was gone, Naruto looked to the boy. "You really gave us a scare there Ozuru."

Ozuru's eyes widened as the memories of his fight flooded back into his mind. "Sakura-sensei!" He yelled as he tried to sit up. He yelled as a jolt of pain coursed though his body.

"Calm down." Naruto replied as he gently pushed him back down. "You're in no condition to move around like that. Sakura is fine. Thanks to you."

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness." Ozuru replied as he felt all the tension leave him and he relaxed in the bed.

"You really came through for us, you know that?" Naruto asked. "I mean if not for you…"

"I really didn't do that much." Ozuru answered.

"Ozuru, you chose to stand up against an opponent you stood no chance against." Naruto responded. "You put your life on the line and nearly lost that life all to protect the woman I love. The time you brought was enough for me to get there and save her. She'd probably be dead now if not for your bravery. You're not just a hero. You're a true ninja of Konoha. Words can't express my gratitude."

Tears welled in Ozuru's eyes as he heard those words. Years ago, when Sakura first began to teach him, she would often share with him stories of her adventures alongside her husband. She would talk about his will to succeed no matter the odds. She'd talk about how hopeless a ninja he used to be and how hard he worked to rise to the level of Hokage. And so, whenever Ozuru was struggling; whenever he felt the physical training was overwhelming or the mental training was suffocating, he would recall those stories. And before he knew it, Naruto had become his hero.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama! Thank you!" Ozuru said as he bowed his head with tears in his eyes.

Naruto put his hand on the teenagers head and smiled. "How many times I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" He asked. "Just call me by my name. I've never been big on formality."

"Yes! Naruto-sama!" Ozuru said with a smile. Ozuru took a deep breath as he looked around the room. Slowly the smile faded from his lips as he knew he had to ask the question on his mind. "So what happened to that guy who attacked us?"

Naruto looked at Ozuru and then at the nearby window. "He didn't make it." He replied. "He chose suicide over capture."

"I see." Ozuru answered. "And the village?"

"We'll recover." Naruto said as he was now looking strait ahead at the far wall. "We always do."

Ozuru looked at his mentor and could see the sudden sadness in his eyes. Despite the smile on Naruto's lips, Ozuru could see that his heart and mind was far away from this place. "Is…is everything alright, Naruto-sama?"

Naruto looked at the young teen momentarily. Ozuru noticed just how weary his Hokage looked. It was then he noticed how haggard his clothes were. Naruto's hair was a little wilder than it normally was and he was in desperate need of a shave. His eyes looked heavy. It was clear now to Ozuru that Naruto had likely not slept much recently.

"I'm just tired Ozuru." Naruto replied. "When I was a kid I dreamt of becoming the strongest ninja so that I could one day be Hokage. I believed that it was the only way to force the people of this village to acknowledge me. But one thing I've learned these last few years is that a person can learn every technique in existence; they could learn how to be leader. But the one thing no one can ever teach, is how to live with yourself when you make a wrong decision. And to be honest…I'm just tired."

"Bull shit!" Ozuru yelled which caused Naruto to look at him with shock. "My father used to tell me that a man's strength isn't judged by the decisions he's forced to make. But the ones he chooses to. I always believed that the reason you were chosen to be Hokage was because no matter what, you always made the best choice for the village. Even if that choice turned out wrong, your heart was in the right place. And that's why I look up to you."

Naruto looked at Ozuru for a brief moment before bursting into laughter. Once he'd composed himself, he spoke. "Did you know that when my wife came to me and told me that she was going to choose you as her first disciple, that I told her it wasn't a good idea?" Ozuru was surprised. He opened his mouth slightly as though he was about to speak, but thought better of it and stayed silent. "I believed that you were too old to begin training to be a ninja." Naruto continued. "Why put you through that when you had the chance to be a normal boy? You didn't even know the basics of ninjutsu, let alone the advanced techniques of Medical Ninjutsu. Why would she want to subject you to such training only to fail?"

"Do you know what that wife of mine said?" Naruto asked. "Well, first she cracked me upside the head." Naruto laughed. "Then she asked me how could one orphan who had been discarded and believed to be a lost cause look on another the same way. I felt like such an idiot. She said that there was something in your eyes. She saw a level of determination that if harnessed, could be a real asset. She said she saw something in you that she hadn't seen since…well…me. And you know what? She was right. Because I think I finally see it too."

Ozuru smiled gratefully at Naruto's words. "Alright Ozuru!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to his feet and pumped his fist. "I've figured out the perfect way to pay you back! From now on, you're no longer just Sakura's disciple! Now you're mine as well! As soon as you're up and able I'm going to train the crap out of you!"

"Uh…" Ozuru remarked with a grimace. "I'm not sure that's…"

"What's wrong?" Naruto said as he glared at Ozuru. "Are you actually going to turn down the chance to be trained by the freaking Hokage?!"

"N-No! No! That's not it at all!" Ozuru protested. 'I just don't think Sakura-senpai will like the idea of sharing a disciple. Plus, she get's…a little nuts if someone hurts me in anyway."

Naruto paused and scratched his chin as he pondered Ozuru's words. "Yeah, you're right. She can get a bit crazy with her over-protectiveness. It could be a problem." Suddenly Naruto came closer and poked Ozuru in his head, between his eyes. Ozuru looked at the two fingers as Naruto kept them there. "I'm going to make you the best ninja you could possibly be kid! That is my promise to you as you're new senpai!"

Ozuru smiled. "You bet!" He said happily.

Just then, they heard someone knock on the door. A familiar blue eyed girl with dark hair, poked her head inside. She had a wide smile and held in her hand a bouquet of flowers. "Hey Ozuru, I heard you…Oh!" The girl paused when she saw the Hokage in the room. "H-Hokage-sama! I-I didn't know you were here! I'll wait outside!"

"No, no, Riku." Naruto protested as he patted Ozuru on the head and waved for Riku to come in. "You clearly came all this way to see him so…"

"Um, no! I had just gotten off duty and…I mean…I was…just in the neighborhood!" Riku stuttered as she blushed.

"And you just happened to be in the neighborhood with flowers?" Naruto asked with a teasing smile which caused Riku to turn beat red. Naruto laughed as he walked passed her. "I'll leave him in your care. See you two later."

Naruto left the room. He closed the door behind him but stopped when there was only about an inch of space left. He quickly peaked inside and saw Riku walk up to Ozuru. She handed him the flowers and he accepted them gratefully. Almost instantly, she collapsed into his arms and she appeared to be crying as Ozuru stroked her hair. Naruto smiled and closed the door all the way before walking down the hall.

As he walked he looked at the medics and nurses who were moving about from one place to the next. The place was still buzzing from the events three days earlier and there were still many injured people to still take care of.

"Naruto!" Naruto turned when he heard someone calling his name. He saw Sakura making his way towards him. "Hey!" She said as she was walking up. "I was told Ozuru is up."

"That's right!" Naruto replied with a smile.

Sakura's pace didn't slow as she walked past her husband. "Good!" She said. "I should look in on him and check his…"

Naruto grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking on. "Maybe you can hold off on that for a bit." He said. "He kind of has his own private nurse right now."

"What?" Sakura asked.

"That girl who works in the Konoha Police Force, Riku is with him." Naruto said.

"Tch! Her again!" Sakura replied as she folded her arms and bit her thumbnail. "She doesn't quit does she? She's trying to use this to seduce my sweet, innocent disciple! I've told him that he needs to just focus on training and not girls!"

"I think he'll be fine." Naruto replied as he scratched his chin.

"He's too young to date!" Sakura yelled.

"He's sixteen." Naruto answered.

"That's too young!" Sakura yelled as she stomped about. "We should give that girl a mission to the other side of the planet! We should...!" Sakura stopped when she saw Naruto laughing. "What's so damned funny?"

"You really are overprotective when it comes to that kid, aren't you?" Naruto asked.

"So?" Sakura asked defensively. "He's my first precious disciple!"

"I don't know." Naruto replied with a shrug. "I guess when I see you act this way, I can't help but think you'd make a great mother." Sakura's mouth hung open as she found herself speechless. "Hey, are you okay Sakura? You're turning really red!"

"Sh-Shut up, you idiot!" Sakura yelled as she struck Naruto on the head. "What the hell is wrong with you saying something like that!?"

"Argh!" Naruto screamed as he clutched his head. "What the hell was that for!? I was just giving you a damned complement!"

"You don't just say something like that!" Sakura yelled back. By now she'd turned beat red. "That kind of stuff is embarrassing!" Sakura stared at Naruto nervously as he rubbed his pained head. "Would you be happy if I was a mother?" She asked in a low whisper.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"I-I said…I said you stink." Sakura replied. "When's the last time you bathed?"

Naruto laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry. I've been busy."

Sakura grabbed Naruto and pulled him into a nearby room. It was an empty and immaculately clean, inpatient room. As soon as the door was closed Sakura turned to her husband. "Bull shit." Sakura said. "I know you've been holed up in that library reading all those books. Not to mention that Namikaze scroll. You haven't been home since the funeral for Iruka and the others two days ago."

"Tch!" Naruto exclaimed as he walked to the large bay window and look outside at the view of the large garden that was at the center of the hospital courtyard.

"Naruto, I'm your wife." Sakura continued as she walked up to him "I need you to talk to me. Your clothes are mess, you haven't bathed, you haven't shaved. You look like you haven't slept much either. And I happen to know that you're not eating like you should. You can't keep this up."

"I'm fine Sakura." Naruto replied tersely.

"No. You're not." Sakura replied. "And the sooner you admit it, the sooner someone can help you. You're shutting people out and…"

"I said I'm fine!" Naruto yelled as he faced his wife. Sakura stared at her husband with a look of concern. She appeared unfazed by the anger he exhibited. The tension suddenly faded away from Naruto as he looked down at the woman he loved. "I-I'm sorry. I just…it's been so hard."

"I know." Sakura replied as she embraced him. "I know. But that's why I'm here. That's why we're all here."

"Right." Naruto answered as he let go of her. "Just…let me head back and get a little more done. I'll come home tonight. I promise."

"Fine." Sakura replied. "See you then."

_-Meanwhile-_

The door to Kabumaru's lab opened as he toiled away on the latest cadaver. Deidara walked into the room where all he could see was his master's back. Deidara groaned as he saw Kabumaru feverishly cutting into the chest of the body. _All of this science crap is so damned annoying! _He thought as he walked up to Kabumaru.

"Hey!" Deidera exclaimed with his arms folded. "You have a visitor! Get the fuck out of that mess, hm!"

Kabumaru grabbed a nearby towel and began to wipe the excess blood and bits of tissue from his hands as he turned to face the person standing just inside the doorway. "Ah! It's you!" He said with a hint of surprise. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Enough with the damned pleasantries!" The person said without entering the room any further. "What the hell do you think you're up to, Kabumaru!"

"Hmm, how rude." Kabumaru replied with a mocking smile. "Should I assume that it'd be a waste of time to offer you tea? I just received some fresh chamomile."

"I just recently received word of your actions in Konoha." The person said. "Are you insane?"

"Yes." Kabumaru replied flatly.

"The plan was to cause instability within the village, not bring it to its knees and kill some of the Hokage's closest friends." The person yelled angrily. "You threaten to have not only the wrath of Konoha but the entire allied forces rain down upon us!"

Kabumaru began to laugh maniacally with tears in his eyes. "And I say let them come! A party only improves with more guests!"

"It was a mistake to trust you." The person said. "You've lost complete control. You've crossed the line!"

"Line?!" Kabumaru asked as he suddenly became deathly serious. "What makes you think there ever was a line? Let us not forget that you sought me out remember. You were the one who wanted revenge for what they had done to you. Now you want to get scared?"

"Damn you!" The person exclaimed.

"Do you forget what I told you at the beginning?" Kabumaru asked. "Revenge is like a snake's venom. It will poison everyone it touches. Now please tell me, where are our little messengers?"

For a brief moment the person remained silent. Kabumaru and Deidera stood patiently waiting. Finally they spoke. "They're in transit. They should arrive shortly."

"Excellent." Kabumaru replied. "The incentive has been given and the bread crumbs have been laid. All we need now do is wait for our little pigeons to come."

"How sure are you that he will come?" The person asked.

Kabumaru laughed. "As you said, I have done some unspeakable things to his friends. Revenge is a powerful aphrodisiac. As you yourself know. He'll come. And then your revenge will be had."

The darkened figure turned to the exit and stopped just short of the doorway. "You'd best make sure that this can't be traced back to me, you mad man. Or else I will kill you personally before I'm sent to hell." A moment later, Kabumaru and Deidera was alone.

"This is going to be a lot of fun." Kabumaru replied as his long tongue hung out of his mouth. "I can't wait for what comes next."

_-Sometime Later-_

Naruto stood at the grave sight of his lost friend and mentor, Iruka. After thinking it over he had decided the best place to lay him to rest was beside his parents. The sun was high in the blue sky and Naruto could feel the warm breeze and could hear the swaying of the nearby trees.

Naruto stared down at the grave marker with gritted teeth and clenched fists. The memories of the funeral procession played over and over in his mind. Naruto could remember talking about wishing peace for the dead, remembering their legacy and living in honor of their memory. But as he stood there, looking at the grave, Naruto felt that it was all a lie. Who cares about anything like that now that his closest friend is gone. All the times laughing and talking were never to happen again. Never again would they meet at Ichiraku's for a bite. Never again would he hear Iruka scold him for shirking his responsibilities as Hokage.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said as tears welled in his eyes. He suddenly dropped to his knees and wept. "I'm so sorry! I should have protected you! I-I should have been there!"

"_**Yes…you should have!"**_

Naruto paused as he heard the familiar voice of Iruka. "I-Iruka?" He said as he looked about in confusion.

"_**You failed me, Naruto! You talk about protecting your friends! But in the end how many have you saved? Who could you really protect? Me? Kiba? Inoichi? Kakashi? Jiraiya? We believed in you. We had faith in you! And you let us down! And now we're dead! All because you're too weak!"**_

Horrified, Naruto saw the earth where Iruka was buried begin to stir. And to his shock, a pale hand shot from out of the dirt and grabbed him by the neck. As the person rose from the dirt, Naruto was speechless as he saw the deathly pale and rotting form of Iruka. Naruto clutched at the hand at his neck but the grip was like a vice. He found himself unable to breath. _**"And now, you will join us in hell for your weakness!"**_

Iruka yanked Naruto down into the grave, into the sudden, cold darkness. Naruto screamed with his eyes closed from the sudden pain, loneliness and despair. When Naruto opened his eyes he was surprised to see that the one holding him was not Iruka, but Kabumaru. Kabumaru's tongue slithered about as he laughed mockingly. _**"You're weak, Naruto-kun. And now, all that you know and love, will be lost!"**_

Naruto woke up with a start. He was gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. Naruto fought through the momentary disorientation as he looked around the room. He was comforted to know he was in fact in his bedroom. He could see the moonlight streaming through the windows and the glass doors to the balcony. He looked to see his wife sleeping soundly next to him. When he'd come home hours before, Sakura once again asked him to talk. She'd implored him to open up about what he was thinking and, most of all, to speak to Lady Tsunade, whom he'd hadn't spoken to since that night. But he couldn't. The wounds were still too fresh. The pain was still too raw. All he felt was massive fatigue. So a quick bath and a meal and they'd gone to bed.

Naruto turned and sat on the side of the bed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. For some time, Naruto sat pensively as he looked around the room. He then got to his feet and padded to the restroom. Some time passed when he emerged, dressed. He walked over to Sakura and for a while, just looked at her sleeping peacefully. He reached out to stroke her cheek but stopped short. Thinking better of it, he turned and left the room, making sure to close the door gently.

_-Sometime Later-_

"This better be good Naruto-niisan." Konohamaru said as he entered Naruto's office. "I was asleep when you sent for me. What could you possibly need at three in the morning?" Konohamaru looked to see Naruto dressed in a pair of plain brown pants, a tight black shirt and the dirty old, red coat he arrived back in Konoha wearing years ago. "What the hell is this?" He asked curiously.

"Hey, Konohamaru! Thank you for coming." Naruto said. "I need you to do me a favor."

_-Later that Night-_

"This is never going to work." Konohamaru replied as he glared at his longtime friend. The two had been sitting at Naruto's desk for nearly the past hour as Naruto went over his plan.

"It'll work Konohamaru." Naruto responded.

"You want me to use a shadow clone to look like you and pretend to be you while you go, god knows where, looking for Kabumaru on your own?" Konohamaru asked. "Yeah, that sounds really easy." "I never said it would be easy." Naruto said. "But I know you can do it. You know me better than most people. You could fool people."

"I won't be able to trick Sakura-chan." Konohamau replied. "Or Shikamaru for that matter. They know you too well."

"Perhaps." Naruto answered. "But I just need you to by me enough time to get far enough away. By then they won't be able to do anything about it except look after things in my place."

"But this is insane, Naruto-nii-san!" Konohamaru yelled as he suddenly leapt to his feet. "You can't just go off on your own like this! At least bring some back up with you!"

Naruto shook his head. "Too dangerous. Whatever this is about has to do with me. I won't be gone long. I'll just look for any clues. If I don't find anything I'll return."

"And what happens if you do find something?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto took a deep breath as he rose from his seat and walked over to a nearby closet. He opened it and removed a large duffle bag which he strapped to his back. "I need to get going." Naruto said. "Look out for the village while I'm gone, okay Konohamaru."

"I still don't think this is a smart idea Naruto." Konohamaru replied as he glared at his friend.

Naruto laughed. "I know. But when I have ever been known for making smart decisions. Just try your best to stall everyone until at least midday tomorrow. That should be all the time I need."

Konohamaru watched his friend make his way to the door. "Hey onii-san!" He yelled. "You will be back…right?"

Naruto looked back with a warm smile. "Farewell, old friend." An instant later, he vanished.

_-Elsewhere-_

Naruto appeared holding one of his kunai that had been jammed in a tree branch high above the ground. This kunai was one of dozens Naruto had strategically placed around the outskirts of the village to allow for him to travel quickly in case of emergency. Naruto let go of the kunai and stood up straight. Turning around he looked back at his village that seemed so peaceful under the moonlit sky. Sighing, Naruto leapt to the ground far below, adjusted his bag on his back and began to walk off.

A few minutes passed where all he could hear was the sound of crickets when he came to an abrupt stop. Naruto looked around for a moment before he took his bag off and put it down. "I don't know who's out there but you might as well come out."

Suddenly, one of the shadows from a nearby tree extended out towards Naruto at incredible speed. Naruto leapt out of the way just as another shadow appeared where he landed. Again. He immediately leapt up and landed on the side of a tree. All the while he could hear a familiar voice. _"Did you really think you could do this by yourself? You moron! How selfish could you be to abandon your friends to go off on your own?! I guess I have no choice but to stop you!"_

As Naruto landed on the ground he suddenly found himself surrounded by shadows that slowly swirled menacingly around. "Shit!" He said to himself as the shadows closed in and connected with his own. Naruto was instantly paralyzed.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete." Shikamaru said as his body rose out of a shadow with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing black ninja clothes with long sleeves and a green flak jacket. He had a grass straw between his teeth. "Sorry, Naruto-kun." He said. "But this is for your own good. Please don't stand in my way."

"Funny." Naruto said from behind him. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he looked back to see Naruto standing there. He quickly looked forward to see that what he'd caught was a clone. Which was confirmed when it vanished in a puff of smoke. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."

Shikamaru laughed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Hey, you've gotten a bit faster since I last saw you in action." He said with a smile. "I didn't even see you make the hand signs this time, let alone make the clone."

"Go home Shikamaru." Naruto said as he walked passed his friend towards his duffle bag.

"Wow! This feels really nostalgic." Shikamaru replied.

"But this time I have no intention of giving in." Naruto answered. "We're I'm going, you can't follow."

"Is this the part where I say that either you let me come or I just follow you?" Shikamaru said as he chuckled.

Naruto shook his head. "Look Shikamaru, I know you mean well…"

Naruto, I have followed you right into hell on many occasions." Shikamaru said cutting Naruto off. "It feels like it's some kind of right of passage to be your friend I guess. Why should now be any different?"

"This isn't a game Shikamaru!" Naruto snapped. "And this isn't like the last time. Kabumaru is powerful. He's a Sage! Do you understand what that means? He's a real threat and I don't know how this will turn out. All of this was done to call me out. And I have to face him. And I can't fight against someone who's also a Sage if I have to protect you."

"Protect me?" Shikamaru replied as he feigned insult. "I would think I'd proven that I could look after myself. I've never been the one to need a knight in shining armor."

"Enough!" Naruto replied. "Go home. That's an order."

"As you wish my lord." Shikamaru said with a bow. "But I wonder how Sakura-chan will think of all this."

"Heh!" Naruto exclaimed. "Go ahead. I'll be long gone before you can bring her here."

"Really?" Shikamaru asked as he scratched his goatee. "Well let's put that to the test shall we?" Shikamaru then looked past where Naruto stood and said, "Sakura-chan, it appears Naruto is leaving after all." Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly as he looked behind him to see Sakura, dressed in her trademark red shirt, black skirt with matching boots and flack jacket. She was leaning against a nearby tree, glaring at her husband. "How do you think I even found out you were trying to sneak out?" Shikamaru said with a smile. He then walked over to a nearby tree and sat up against it and spun the straw in his mouth as he stared up into the night sky.

Sakura stood up straight and started slowly approaching him like a tiger approaching its fallen prey. "Okay, Sakura." Naruto said as his wife closed in on him. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to call me reckless and idiotic. You're going to say that I'm not thinking clearly. That I let my anger get the best of me and that leaving the village is irresponsible. And all of that may be true. But that doesn't change the fact that I know that Kabumaru is too dangerous to let anyone else face him. His abilities are too much for anyone else. I have to do it. And I can't do that here."

Sakura walked up to Naruto. He hair billowed in the breeze. Without a word, and with little effort, she punched him in the stomach so hard that he doubled over and collapsed on her shoulder. Sakura grabbed him by the waist to keep him from falling. "Naruto, you are the most stubborn man I think I've ever met." She whispered in his ear as she stroked his head. "You're reckless and idiotic. But I love you. And I chose to marry you. And as your wife, it's my duty to stand by your side. And if you think that for the good of the village you need to find this maniac personally, then I will be at your side."

Naruto was about to speak in protest when he suddenly felt a wave of fatigue strike his whole body. Instantly he felt on the verge of losing consciousness and he was about to collapse when Sakura held him tighter to keep him up. Sakura's face was emotionless as she allowed her genjutsu to invade her husbands body. "But if you think you can leave me behind, don't think I'll do so without a fight. And that would be a fight you wouldn't win so easily."

Just as Naruto felt that he was about to pass out, the effect disappeared as instantly as it appeared and he could feel his strength surge back into his body. Sakura pushed him back and she had a warm smile on her face. "So let's go and put an end to this together, okay?"

Naruto smiled as he nervously scratched her head. "You make a good argument." He said. He then looked to Shikamaru who still sat looking at the stars. "And what about you?"

"Well." Shikamaru replied as he got to his feat and dusted the dirt of his hands. "The way I figure it, with my pregnant wife off visiting her brother, I have nothing going on right now. Besides, it's been a few years since you and I have gone off on a badly planned mission to save the world with little chance of success. I might be getting a bit complacent."

Naruto laughed. "Alright then. But you two will need supplies."

"Way ahead of you." Shikamaru said as he moved some tall grass to reveal two packed duffle bags. "Shall we?"

"Yeah." Naruto said with a smile as he squeezed his wife's hand. "Let's get going."

_End of Chapter X_

**Next Time:** _Journey into Darkness_


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